The Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport reported the foiled attempt by a human trafficking syndicate to send one family of Arab nationals to the United Kingdom.

Customs Commissioner Norman Tansingco, a mother and her three children were intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 on 23 November after attempting to board their flight via a Cathay Pacific flight to Hongkong en route to their final destination in the UK.

The BI chief said the aliens presented Seychelles passports to the airlines, but the immigration officer doubted the authenticity of their travel documents.

Tansingco added that their passports were sent to the BI Forensic Document Laboratory for examination, and the bureau confirmed that the passports they presented were counterfeit.

He added that the four intercepted passengers are now undergoing investigation by the BI Legal Division after which they will be sent back for using spurious immigration documents.

According to the Bureau, it is apparent that the foiled human trafficking attempt was the handiwork of an international syndicate that attempts to use Manila as a transit or jumpoff point for its victims.

BI Port Operation Chief Atty. Carlos Capulong disclosed that the passengers arrived in Manila last 6 November and stayed here for more than two weeks before booking their flight to the United Kingdom.

Atty. Capulong said that until now they are still trying to ascertain their true nationality.

He added that the BI officer had also found a fake UK national identification card among the passengers.