2 Japanese carrying P50 million intercepted at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Customs (BOC) officers on Tuesday foiled an attempt of two Japanese passengers to smuggle into the country an estimated P50 million cash in yen at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2.

Yuzuru Marumo and Masayuki Aoyagi are believed to be Yakuza members based on their tattoos, authorities said.

Prior to their arrival in Manila, BOC Intelligence and Investigation Services supervisor Verne Enciso said they received information from the Interpol that two Japanese carrying large sums of money would arrive at the NAIA from Narita airport in Tokyo.

Enciso informed BOC district collector Mimel Talusan and deputy collector for passenger services Lourdes Mangaoang about the arrival of the suspects.

Talusan said Marumo and Aoyagi were asked twice by customs examiners if they had something to declare, but the suspects responded “nothing.”

When customs examiners and police opened the suspects’ luggage, authorities said they found 100,645,000 yen.

BOC officers nearly figured in a standoff with six people in civilian clothes who reportedly introduced themselves as operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and allegedly tried to rescue the Japanese.

The CIDG denied this, saying none of its personnel went to the NAIA on Tuesday night.

Lt. Col. Mon Sawan, spokesman for the CIDG, said their investigation showed that the people who figured in a standoff with the airport police were not lawmen.

“They are not from the CIDG. Mga civilians sila,” Sawan said.

The Japanese are being held for violating the regulations of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Customs Modernization Act. Under the BSP policy, a traveler may carry no more than $10,000 in cash.