In a series of successful drug interdiction efforts at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), authorities have arrested individuals from Bolivia, Malaysia, and Singapore for smuggling substantial quantities of illegal narcotics into the Philippines.
The latest apprehension occurred on Thursday, November 2, involving a 30-year-old Bolivian national who was caught with approximately 8,999.11 grams of cocaine, valued at 47.7 million pesos ($831,100). Customs officials at NAIA Terminal 3 detained the individual, who had flown in on Ethiopian Airline Flight ET644 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Earlier, on October 13, a Malaysian man identified as M.A.A. was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs worth 25.3 million pesos ($442,368) into the country. He too was a passenger on Ethiopian Airline Flight ET644 originating from Madagascar.
Adding to the list of incidents, two Singaporean women were taken into custody on September 28 after attempting to enter the Philippines with cocaine worth 76.1 million pesos ($1.34 million) hidden in 341 pellets. They had arrived from a Middle Eastern country.
These arrests reflect the heightened measures being taken by law enforcement to thwart the influx of illegal substances through the nation’s airports. Officials announced that intensive investigations are underway, with legal actions to be taken against the perpetrators.
From July 2022 to September 2023, the Philippines has seized illegal drugs worth a total of 28.01 billion pesos ($496 million) in various nationwide operations. These operations have resulted in the arrest of 64,862 suspects and the dismantlement of a significant number of drug dens and a clandestine laboratory.
In related efforts, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) conducted a massive destruction of seized drugs on October 20, amounting to $106 million (approximately 6 billion pesos) in narcotics. This act of drug disposal was part of the government’s staunch commitment to eradicate the presence and distribution of illegal drugs across the country.