AUTHORITIES apprehended three Chinese nationals on Saturday after their luggage was found to contain approximately 46.5 kilograms of suspected high-grade marijuana, known as kush, during a routine inspection at Clark International Airport.
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) officers carried out the operation around 8 a.m., during a standard baggage check at the Port of Clark.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Region 3 identified the suspects only by their aliases: Ang See, 39; Kim Tan, 27; and Li Cheng, 30. The illegal drugs, with an estimated value of nearly P 70 million, were concealed inside three pieces of luggage. Authorities discovered 99 vacuum-sealed plastic packs containing dried leaves and fruiting tops believed to be kush.
The suspects, who arrived from Bangkok and were on a layover at Clark before heading to Hong Kong, were immediately taken into custody by PDEA-Region 3 for further investigation.
The operation was a result of close collaboration among several agencies, including the Bureau of Customs, PDEA, Police Drug Enforcement Group 3, Police Aviation Security Unit 3, and the National Bureau of Investigation-Pampanga.
The confiscated illegal drugs will undergo forensic testing at the PDEA-3 laboratory to confirm their nature. The three Chinese nationals are now facing formal charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Authorities emphasized that the successful interdiction highlights the importance of interagency cooperation in combating drug trafficking and protecting the community from dangerous substances.
