It now appears that Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Philippines’ primary entry hub for tourists, has become for years an unsuspecting hub for a thriving trade in illegal drugs.
This, as construction workers found yet another cache of suspected shabu inside an abandoned restaurant inside NAIA Terminal 1 Sunday, January 7.
Airport authorities said the workers came across the illegal drugs inside the former Hari-Raya Restaurant while they were tearing down the old kitchen equipment.
The drugs were discovered inside three large pouches that were hidden in the sink traps, which were filled with water.
The workers promptly alerted airport security and notified the Aviation personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) about the find.
Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the packages contained 1,685 grams of suspected shabu with a market value of P11,458,000.
The NAIA-PDEA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group currently has custody of the illegal drugs, as the authorities continue their investigation into the recently found narcotics located in the kitchen of the previous business establishment.
In December of last year, construction workers discovered over three kilograms of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride while renovating the former Club Manila Lounge, also at the NAIA Terminal 1.
According to government operatives, the illicit materials were found during the demolition of the previous lounge's old cabinets and shelves by the workers.
An investigation is now underway on how the drugs were able to be smuggled into the airport without being detected.
#Drugs #AbandonedDrugs #NAIA #OpinYon #WeTakeAStand