Fil-Am who committed suicide negative for drugs

MANILA, Philippines - Laboratory tests on specimens seized from a Fil-Am naval officer held at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week tested negative for any dangerous drugs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) authorities said yesterday.

PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago made the statement to clarify earlier reports that the items confiscated by police authorities from a Fil-Am naval officer at the NAIA Terminal 2 was confirmed by an unnamed PDEA agent assigned at the airport to contain dangerous drugs.

Santiago cited as his source the official Chemistry Report submitted by the agency’s laboratory service pertaining to the specimens taken from Scintar Mejia, 35 years old, a Lieutenant Commander of the United States Navy. He was among the departing passengers of Philippine Airlines flight PR112 bound for Los Angeles, California, USA.

Mejia was brought to the police Center for Aviation Security on Dec. 26, after a pre-departure check of his hand-carried bag revealed a sachet containing white powdery substance that appeared to be dangerous drugs.

Mejia died the following day, (Dec. 27) after running away from his escorts and jumping headfirst into a stairwall.

“We will leave the investigation of the suicide to the police and embassy authorities. However, we also need to clarify that nobody can unilaterally declare that any substance is a dangerous drug without subjecting the same to chemical analysis at our forensic laboratory using the Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). Field testing kits are likewise inconclusive unless the specimens are submitted for confirmatory testing,” said Santiago.

Authorities from all government agencies manning posts at international and domestic airports and seaports have tightened security measures following successive incidents of confiscations of illegal drugs from both inbound and outbound passengers.

Meanwhile, the embarrassed drug enforcement agent assigned at the NAIA was questioned regarding his earlier report that the powder substance found on Mejia was cocaine.

In an official report by the PDEA dated Dec. 27, released to the media yesterday, Wilkins Villanueva, Pdea director III gave copies of the findings to Santiago and other concerned agencies. The report said: “The suspected drug evidence that was turned over to the PDEA airport interdiction unit by the apprehending officers for laboratory examination turned out to have negative findings of any dangerous drugs, according to chemistry report number PDEA-DD010-483 as examined by the duty chemist, Maria Therese Anne L. Domingo.”

Mejia sustained head injuries after landing on the cement pavement headfirst but later died at the San Juan De Dios Hospital. The PDEA said that during X-ray inspection, Mejia brought out a plastic sachet and threw its content at X-ray operator Jose Saul Villegas. Then he reportedly accused Villegas and other personnel present that he was being set up for a crime.

“Suddenly, the suspect went hysterical and started shouting at the security personnel which prompted them to seek police assistance,” the PDEA report said. SPO1 Mateo Aguila, area supervisor arrived on the scene and tried to pacify Mejia.