Authorities arrested a 63-year-old Australian national for alleged possession of illegal drugs at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Thursday night, 19 February.

Operatives of the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group apprehended the foreigner, identified only by the alias Leon, at the customs exclusion room of the international arrivals area.

Authorities said more or less 4,008 grams of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, with an estimated standard drug price of P27,254,400, were confiscated from the suspect.

He was intercepted upon arrival from Johannesburg, South Africa, with a connecting flight via Hong Kong, prior to his entry into the country.

Recovered from the suspect was a black backpack labeled “Samsonite” containing two improvised wooden boxes covered with colored paper. Inside the boxes were two transparent plastic bags wrapped in carbon paper containing white crystalline substance weighing approximately 4,008 grams.

Also seized were personal belongings including a notebook, a set of keys, a calculator, a charger, assorted coins and other personal effects.

Authorities likewise confiscated additional non-drug evidence, including travel documents, identification cards, bank cards, assorted foreign currencies, a mobile phone, clothing and luggage.

The suspect will face charges for violation of Section 4, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.