A 37-Year-old Kenyan woman was taken into custody by authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) for allegedly carrying a cache of illegal drugs on Friday.
Customs officer Thess Roque said airport security and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested the suspect, identified as Lina Achieng Noah, around 5 p.m. as she was about to pass through the customs counter.
Seized from the woman were more than 7 kilos of white crystalline substance, suspected to be metamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu.”
Roque said the suspected drugs were in vacuum-sealed packaging with cushion and aluminum foil. “The drugs were sewn inside the lining of her two bags—a backpack and a trolley (bag),” Roque said.
The passenger arrived from Dubai on board Emirates flight EK 334.
Authorities initially pegged the suspected drug’s street value at P40 million, pending PDEA’s evaluation.
Prior to the arrest, Roque said immigration officials already had information that the Kenyan was entering the Philippines carrying illegal items.
“She was in fact, for exclusion, meaning she would not be allowed to enter the country,” the customs official said.