NAIA passenger held for currency smuggling

The Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) reported Saturday that authorities intercepted a substantial amount of assorted foreign currencies at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Friday, 21 February.

A 56-year-old Filipino outbound traveler was undergoing a standard security check before boarding a flight to Hong Kong when a Security Screening Officer (SSO) detected an image resembling cash inside a black trolley bag.

During a manual inspection, officials discovered undeclared foreign currency, including Japanese yen, euros and Kuwaiti dinars, amounting to approximately P6.6 million.

The passenger is facing charges under Republic Act 9280 and BSP Circular 1146 on foreign currency smuggling. He remains in Bureau of Customs custody pending inquest proceedings.