MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino female traveler was apprehended by anti-drug operatives for carrying some four kilograms of cocaine on late Thursday afternoon.
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) said the passenger was identified as Rikki Joy Dagonano Gulmatico of Negros Occidental.
SMUGGLED COCAINE Customs officials inspect 4 kilograms of cocaine that a Filipino courier attempted to smuggle into the country. The suspect, identified as Rikki Joy Dagonano Gulmatico of Negros Occidental, was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Jan. 9, 2024. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Customs-NAIA Assistant Deputy Collector for Passenger Services Mark Almase said Gulmatico arrived in Manila from Sierra Leone, West Africa via Addis Ababa onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET644.
The NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (IADITG) discovered a suspicious image in Gulmatico’s luggage during a non-intrusive inspection by X-ray Inspection Project personnel.
The luggage was then subjected to a thorough inspection, leading to the discovery of 4,574 grams of cocaine with a street value of P24,242,200.
Customs officials said that the Filipina checked “No” for all the items on the BoC General Declaration form when she presented her passport and E-Travel QR Code upon the request of a BoC examiner.
She was asked if she had anything to declare and replied, ‘None.’
However, while examining her luggage, the Customs official discovered a white powdery substance hidden in an improvised plastic pouch covered in aluminum foil and tape, leading to suspicion that it was cocaine.
Gulmatico faced charges for breaking all laws concerning the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country, as stated by BoC-NAIA.
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