Bolivian drug smuggler nabbed at NAIA

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported that the immigration officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted a Bolivian drug trafficker.

BI-NAIA identified the suspect as Roberth Lavadenz Alvarez, a 30-year-old Bolivian national who attempted to smuggle illegal drugs into the country.

According to BI Anti-Terrorist Group (ATG) airport head Bienvenido Castillo III, the arrest of Alvarez was the result of the agency's travel pattern monitoring, noting that the suspect was found to have had suspicious travels.

Castillo said that on Tuesday, 31 October, Alvarez arrived in Manila from Brazil via an Ethiopian Airlines flight with a layover in Addis Ababa and Hong Kong.

He added that the bureau received information from its US counterparts that led the BI-ATG to intercept Alvarez upon his arrival in the country.

After gathering the information, the BI-ATG immediately alerted the members of the NAIA Drug Interdiction Task Group (NAIA-DITG), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regarding the smuggled attempts of the suspect.

Upon the arrival of the Ethiopian flight, the BI-ATG marked the suspect and gave a signal to the BOC-NAIA and PDEA that the subject had arrived. After the suspect got his luggage off the conveyor, the authorities immediately intercepted him at the customs arrival area.

The BOC-NAIA conducted a 100 percent physical inspection of the suspect's luggage. During the inspection, the authorities found four plastic packs resembling toffee candies, totaling 405 pieces, and four bags containing what appeared to be fish food, with a total weight of 5,515 grams. The BOC and PDEA conducted initial field tests, which revealed the presence of illegal substances.

During the interrogation, Alvarez revealed that an individual of African nationality offered him $5,000 to transport the said items to Manila and instructed him to await further guidance at his hotel upon his arrival in Manila.

Alvarez was immediately arrested and turned over to the custody of the PDEA, along with the illegal drugs that were seized by the airport authorities, for further investigation and proper disposal of the illegal drugs.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that this operation emphasizes the importance of international collaboration in combatting the illegal drug trade, and the dedication of law enforcement agencies played a vital role in upholding the law and protecting the country.