A South African national has been charged with drug smuggling after authorities intercepted him with P42 million worth of shabu at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) confirmed that Phillip Theunissen, 31, was found in possession of 6.2 kilograms of the illegal drug concealed in his luggage.
Theunissen is now facing charges under Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, as well as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. He is currently being held at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) headquarters in Quezon City.
Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio praised the BOC’s anti-narcotics team for successfully detecting the contraband and emphasized that transnational crime syndicates continue to exploit the country’s ports for smuggling operations.
