BOC sues South African in Naia cocaine bust

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday filed drug smuggling charges in the Department of Justice against a South African national who was caught carrying 8.5 kilograms of cocaine at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) two weeks ago.

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said the bureau had filed criminal charges against suspected drug mule Debbie Reyneke.

“This should send a strong warning to international drug syndicates that the Philippines is not a place for illegal and hazardous drugs,” Biazon said in a statement. “Reyneke’s arrest on Oct. 23 upon her arrival from Dubai on board an Emirates flight was the result of the bureau’s enhanced intelligence network.”

“Customs officials at Naia were already alerted about her arrival and the possibility of having illegal drugs in her luggage. When her bag was inspected, it yielded food packs containing a substance that tested positive during initial tests for the general narcotics alkaloid,” he said.

Further tests conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed the substance to be cocaine.

Ma. Edita Tan, BOC deputy commissioner for revenue collection and monitoring, said her office would “closely monitor the progress of the case (against Reyneke) and do everything within our means to get a conviction.”

Earlier, Biazon noted that during the last two quarters of 2012 alone, about 20 kg of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu,” valued at over P163 million, were seized by BOC personnel from seven foreign nationals at Naia. Jerry E. Esplanada