Meth via jet sparks fears of ‘narco state’
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is investigating reports of seizures in Thailand of large drug shipments supposedly bound for the Philippines.
The recent interception of the illegal air freight has fed suggestions of a “narco state” after a cluster of events pointed to the Philippines as a destination or transit point for narcotics.
PNP Public Information Office chief Police Col. Allen Rae Co said the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, local police units, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency were coordinating with their foreign counterparts on the details of the separate incidents.
Co cautioned against linking the Philippines to the seized drugs based solely on the claims of foreign authorities that the shipments were destined for the country.
“The fact that they seized the items makes it easy to point fingers and speculate about where they were headed. But we will have to check what was actually stated in the manifest and where the shipment was supposed to be delivered,” he said.
Co said initial information indicated that a Malaysian-owned private jet had landed in Laos, where the drugs were loaded for transport to the Philippines.
He said, however, the PNP has not received documents or other evidence showing the shipment was headed for Manila.
Still only a claim
“The initial information was that the plane was destined for the Philippines,” Co said.
“That is their claim. They have not presented any hard evidence,” he said, adding that investigators will examine flight plans, manifests, and other records to verify the route and destination.
Co said they were coordinating with foreign counterparts to determine if any Filipinos were involved.
Police in Laos intercepted an alleged transnational drug trafficking attempt after a private jet arrived from Subang Airport in Malaysia. The aircraft reportedly arrived without any cargo and was scheduled to continue on to the Philippines.
After the aircraft landed at Luang Prabang International Airport, two vehicles arrived carrying 23 bags which airport staff and police said were loaded on the aircraft.
Following the discovery, Lao authorities detained 13 people for investigation. They included the three people who had arrived on the aircraft, as well as 10 Lao nationals, three ground services company staff, and seven airport staff who operated the X-ray screening machine.