Authorities arrested three men and seized an estimated P114.5 million worth of suspected shabu during an interdiction operation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) complex, officials said Sunday.

Reports said that the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group seized approximately 16,848 grams of the illegal drug last Thursday evening at the Pair-Pags Center.

The suspects were identified by authorities as a 58-year-old broker representative from Caloocan City, a 61-year-old broker representative from Pasay City, and a 35-year-old porter from Manila.

The narcotics were discovered inside four boxes wrapped in packaging tape, all bearing the same airway bill number.

To evade detection, the shabu was concealed within green figurines and packed alongside green marble stones and tissue paper. Investigators recovered a total of 66 transparent plastic bags containing the substance.

The multi-agency operation included personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Customs, and the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group, among others.

In addition to the drugs, authorities confiscated mobile phones, identification cards, a motorcycle and P34,885 in cash.

The three men face charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.