Another African arrested for illegal drugs

For the third time in as many weeks, airport authorities arrested an African woman attempting to sneak suspected illegal drugs into the country.

The luggage of Aicha Camara, 27, of the Republic of Guinea, yielded 2.7 kilos of a white crystalline substance believed to be high-grade methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.

According to Bureau of Customs collector for passenger services Tess Roque, Camara arrived from Casablanca in Morocco via Abu Dhabi on an Etihad Airways flight Sunday night.

Immigration officers, however, denied her entry into the country because she was not able to justify her visit, Roque said.

With no scheduled flight back home, Camara was forced to spend the night and succeeding days in the Naia (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) day room to await the next plane back.

On Tuesday, Camara, who is six months pregnant, complained of abdominal pain and was taken to the Naia clinic. Airport doctors advised that she be brought to a hospital immediately.

But before she was wheeled out of the airport, customs examiners inspected her luggage which led to the discovery of the drugs.

It took a while for customs agents to take the suitcase apart. The suspected drugs were packed in brown plastic envelopes hidden in the bag’s lining and would not have been detected in an ordinary inspection, Roque said. He said Camara also had $4,900 in cash.

Officials estimated the value of the drugs at P20 million. With a report from Dona Z. Pazzibugan