MANILA, Philippines — A South African national was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 for allegedly carrying P42.16 million worth of shabu on Saturday night.
Phillip Theunissen, 31, was apprehended during an interdiction operation at the NAIA at around 9:20 p.m., according to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) spokesman Derrick Carreon.
Theunissen was nabbed by airport authorities who noticed suspicious items in his luggage at the X-ray screening area.
When they inspected the suspect’s luggage, airport personnel found around 6.2 kilos of shabu in a transparent plastic pouch wrapped with packing tape.
The illegal drugs were stashed beneath assorted clothes, the PDEA said.
Police confiscated Theunissen’s passport, cell phone and travel documents.
The suspect is being held on charges of importing illegal drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law.
In Caloocan City, anti-narcotics police seized shabu valued at P387,600 from three suspects.
The illegal drugs, weighing 57 grams, were recovered during a sting in Barangay 28, Northern Police District director Brig. Gen. Rizalito Gapas said.
The suspects were identified only through their aliases as Louie, Ron and Buboy, all residents of Caloocan.
The suspects allegedly negotiated a deal with police officers who posed as drug buyers.
Charges of drug trafficking are being readied against the suspects.
A separate complaint for illegal possession of a firearm will be filed against Louie after he allegedly yielded an unlicensed .45-caliber handgun. — Rudy Santos