MORE than P120 million worth of illegal substances believed to be shabu were confiscated from a foreign tourist at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) past 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.
Operatives of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA 7) confiscated the contraband from South African national Pietro Aliquo, who arrived at MCIA Terminal 2 from South Africa.
Aliquo flew to Cebu via Doha, Qatar on board a commercial plane.
His arrest took place when Bulik, a drug-sniffing dog of PDEA 7, sensed illegal drugs inside his luggage.
Bulik immediately sat down on the luggage, prompting airport personnel to check Aliquo’s personal belongings.
Prior to his arrest, Aliquo’s baggage went through the x-ray scanner; but airport personnel doubted its contents because these were sealed with thick plastic. They then sought the help of PDEA 7’s K-9 Unit.
The foreigner said he was not aware that he was carrying drugs. He said a friend asked him to bring the package, but he did not know that it contained drugs.
Aliquio said his friend told him somebody would pick up the item in Cebu, but he also did not know who the person was.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan thanked authorities for intercepting the contraband while still at the airport before it could go into the market.
Chan said Aliquo had booked a hotel in Lapu-Lapu City.
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PDEA 7 Director Jigger Montallana said the suspect will be subjected to a thorough investigation to determine his contacts in Cebu and where he intended to deliver the contraband which weighed 17.6 kilos.
Montallana said while he believes the illegal substance came from the African drug syndicate whose operations had already reached the Philippines, it’s possible that Aliquo really does not know all details pertaining to the drug shipment as everything may have been controlled by someone in Johannesburg, Africa.
“The ones left in Johannesburg called the shots as to who will pick up the shipment,” said Montallana in Tagalog.
The BOC and PDEA operatives at the MCIA first received information from their counterparts abroad about the arrival of illegal drugs brought in by a foreigner from Johannesburg.
“What triggered suspicions was when airport operatives opened the luggage and emptied the clothes, it was still heavy. So when they put the luggage again through the x-ray, they noticed that something was really concealed,” said PDEA 7 information officer Leia Alcantara in Cebuano.
Aliquo took a flight from Johannesburg to Qatar and then headed straight to Cebu.
He was supposed to return to Johannesburg on Feb. 8.
Montallana did not comment on why the contraband was not detected at the other airports. (BBT, AYB / TPT)