Government agents discovered an illegal stuff inside a bag which were reportedly abandoned by a foreign passenger five months ago at the NAIA.
Around P19.3 million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride, also known as shabu, was found in an abandoned bag at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Bureau of Customs (BoC) said on Wednesday.
The bag arrived with the passenger identified as Sara Tabitya who took a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR737 from Bangkok.
According to Atty. Ma Lourdes Mangaoang, BoC Xray Intelligence Group chief, the contraband originated from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and made a stopover in Bangkok before reaching Manila.
Mangaoang said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at NAIA prevented her from entering the country for failure to establish her legitimate purpose of travel.
Her baggage was later brought to the interline baggage room (IBR) for storage until further examination on Wednesday.
The bureau said baggage or luggage that had remained unclaimed is considered abandoned.
Newly designated Port of NAIA District Collector Yasmin Mapa ordered the seizure of the 2.8 kilograms of illegal substance after their discovery when Customs conducted scanning operation of abandoned bags at the NAIA Terminal 1.
The drugs were later turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposal.