Sunday, August 27, 2006
Anti-drug agents arrest 3 Taiwanese trying to smuggle illegal drugs
MANILA -- Anti-drug and customs agents arrested three Taiwanese men preparing to board a flight to China Saturday carrying 52 million pesos (US$1 million) worth of ketamine, a drug enforcement official said.
The three -- Lin Hsiang, Chen Fen-Feng, and Lin Wu Hsin -- were nabbed following a tip from Taiwan's anti-narcotics authorities, said Dionisio Santiago, chairman of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Santiago said the illegal drug, weighing about 10 kilograms (22.05 pounds), was concealed in packets of chocolate drinks, oatmeal and powdered juice.
"We're still conducting a thorough background check on the arrested suspects in coordination with our Taiwanese counterparts," Santiago said.
He said the drug was intercepted during a baggage check prior to the three men's departure for Macau on an Air Macao flight.
Ketamine, used as an anesthetic for horses, can cause delirium and amnesia in humans. It is becoming popular as a "party drug" along with ecstasy in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
Dionisio said ketamine has a small market in the Philippines where addicts use microwave ovens to turn the liquid into powder for sniffing. (AP)
(August 27, 2006 issue)
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