Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) — A South African national was intercepted at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Wednesday night for allegedly bringing into the country suspected illegal drugs with an estimated value of ₱120 million.
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Authorities said suspected shabu was found inside the luggage of 58-year-old Pietro Aliquo who flew in from his country via Doha, Qatar to Cebu.
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The supposed drugs were concealed inside a briefcase and two checked-in suitcases, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA-7).
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“A thorough check of the three items led to the discovery of a total of ten (10) packs of suspected shabu weighing around 17,699 grams worth ₱120,353,200 in hidden compartments,” the PDEA-7 said in a statement.
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The Bureau of Customs at the airport first noticed the items through its X-ray machine and immediately sought the help of the PDEA Airport Interdiction Unit as well as the K9 unit to verify them.
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According to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, the South African claimed that an acquaintance asked him to bring a package as a “gift” for someone who would pick it up upon arrival in Cebu.
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Aliquo said those gifts were supposedly clothes.
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The foreigner was supposed to be in Cebu for vacation and booked a hotel in Lapu-Lapu City.
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Chan said the interception of illegal drugs is part of the localized drug war launched by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, who created the One Cebu Inter Agency Interdiction Task Force.
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The pieces of drug evidence have been submitted to the PDEA-7 laboratory for chemical analysis, while the suspect is currently detained at the agency’s headquarters in Cebu City.
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