Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon lauded the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) for its swift and strict implementation of airport regulations following the arrest of a foreign national carrying illegal drugs at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Monday.
This fast action is in line with the President’s directive to airport authorities to ensure the safe and secure travel of passengers.
“We have repeatedly warned passengers not to bring prohibited items to the airport. If you are carrying drugs, you will be even more at risk. You will end up in jail,” Dizon said.
According to OTS, lighters were initially detected at the hand carried bag of passenger Koh Myungso of flight OZ 704 when it passed through the L3 x-ray machine at Lane 5 of the terminal at 9:50 pm.
During the manual search, suspected illegal drugs and paraphernalia were found at the passenger’s bag.
Upon testing using a chemical analyzer test kit, Koh yielded a positive result for methamphetamine, while further confirmation through K9 screening was conducted, which also turned a positive result.
The passenger was turned over by PNP Aviation Security Group (AVSEGROUP) to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for inquest proceedings on Wednesday.