Six kilograms of shabu with an estimated street value of P40.8 million stuffed in two handbags were seized from a Filipina passenger who arrived Friday morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Concealed in a tea foil pack and stuffed in two handbags that were packed in a backpack, the six kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu were detected during x-ray inspection, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) said.
NAIA Customs district collector Carmelita Talusan identified the suspect as Ruzol Marie Guillermo, 28, who arrived at the airport’s Terminal 3 at around 4 a.m. Friday from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
“The passenger’s backpack was subjected to x-ray scanning which yielded images of suspected dangerous drugs. The baggage was subjected to 100-percent physical examination, where Customs personnel found white crystalline substances inside two handbags which were inside the backpack further concealed in a tea foil pack,” the bureau said in a statement.
A field test was then conducted to confirm whether the substance is an illegal drug. It tested positive for shabu.
According to the bureau, the passenger and drug shipment will be turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the lead agency in the anti-illegal drug operations in the country.
She will be charged with violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act (Republic Act 9165) in relation to Sections 118 (Prohibited Importation), 1113 (Goods Liable for Seizure and Forfeiture) and 1401 (Unlawful Importation) of the Republic Act 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. (Betheena Kae Unite, Ariel Fernandez)
