By JUN RAMIREZ
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced yesterday the arrest of a Colombian drug mule who attempted to smuggle into the country more than P8-million worth of cocaine that he swallowed before boarding his flight to Manila.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the arrest of Alberto Quijano Pedraza, 67, could not have been possible without the participation of the other members of the drug interdiction task group (DITG) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who took part in the operation.
He disclosed that the task group which was formed last year is composed of the PDEA, BI, Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation, PNP Aviation Security Group, NAIA Airport Police, and the DOTR’s Office of Transportation Security.
Morente noted that it is the spirit of mutual cooperation between agencies that get things done in this administration.
According to Morente, it was the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which informed the BI about Pedraza’s impending arrival via Emirates Airlines flight EK332 from Dubai Sunday afternoon.
He said that after confirming that Pedraza was aboard the flight, BI intelligence officer Bienvenido Castillo immediately relayed the information to the NAIA-DITG which then planned and executed the operation for the suspect’s interdiction.
“When he arrived at past 4 p.m. and presented himself at the immigration counter BI operatives immediately informed other members of the task group that the subject has been positively identified and tagged,” Morente said.
Pedraza seemed ill at ease, apprehensive and acted suspiciously. When he tried to enter the men’s room at the customs’ area, NAIA-DITG members accosted him to prevent him from possibly dumping the drugs he ingested.
The Colombian was later brought to the Pasay General Hospital where X-ray results revealed that he had ingested 79 pellets, each containing 15 grams of cocaine, in his intestines which he later on excreted.
The 1.185 kilograms of cocaine is now with the PDEA to be used as evidence against Pedraza.
