Foreign passenger nabbed at NAIA for drugs

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Tuesday lauded the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) for its rapid and rigorous enforcement of airport regulations after a foreign national was arrested Monday night at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 for carrying illegal drugs.

The arrest of 49-year-old Mr. Koh Myungso, bound for Incheon, South Korea on flight OZ 704, follows President Marcos Jr.’s directive for heightened airport security to protect passenger safety.

"Paulit-ulit nating abiso sa mga pasahero, 'wag kayong magdala ng prohibited items sa airport. Kung droga dala n'yo, lalong wala kayong kawala. Kulong ang aabutin ninyo," Secretary Dizon reiterated.

(We’ve repeatedly warned passengers: do not bring prohibited items into the airport. If you carry drugs, you’re only digging yourself deeper, you’ll end up in jail.)

OTS screeners detected lighters in Koh’s carry-on bag during X-ray screening at 9:50PM on Monday. A subsequent manual search uncovered suspected illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. A chemical analyzer test kit confirmed the presence of methamphetamine, with a K9 unit’s alert providing further confirmation.

Koh was handed over by the PNP Aviation Security Group to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency early Tuesday for inquest proceedings.