Vietnamese caught with 3 kilos of shabu at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines—A Vietnamese man allegedly carrying nearly three kilos of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) was arrested by the Bureau of Customs agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday.

BOC collector for passenger services Thess Roque said the suspect, Dong Ty Yen, arrived at the NAIA Terminal 2 on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 753 from Bangkok, Thailand, at around 2 p.m.  He reportedly had come from India.

Seized from the suspect were 2.9 kilos of shabu with a street value of about P30 million.  The shabu, as shown to mediamen, resembled fish feed grains.

The drug cache was found in a sealed plastic bag concealed in a fabricated compartment of Dong’s luggage, according to customs police.

Dong was turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority for investigation.

The BOC, PDEA and airport police have formed a team to find out if Dong had contacts at the airport or if a syndicate could have been involved in the drug smuggling.

In the past few months, NAIA authorities have apprehended several foreign nationals, including suspected members of African drug syndicates who were found carrying illegal drugs.