METRO

High-grade marijuana intercepted at NAIA

Neil Alcober · Sep 30, 2026, 10:56 PM

AUTHORITIES examine approximately 18.68 kilograms of suspected dried marijuana valued at P18.68 million intercepted at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. — PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BOC

Bureau of Customs (BoC) officers stationed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted approximately 18.7 kilograms of marijuana valued at P18.679 million and arrested three arriving passengers on Wednesday.

Customs personnel flagged the suspects, who arrived on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, after X-ray baggage scanners revealed suspicious image patterns inside their luggage during routine physical screening.

A subsequent physical examination of the luggage yielded packages containing roughly 18,679 grams of marijuana concealed among personal belongings, according to airport authorities.

BoC-NAIA district collector Maria Yasmin Mapa credited joint intelligence-sharing among border enforcement agencies, including the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, for the interception.

Meantime, BoC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno commended the operational teams and reiterated that the bureau is intensifying border security protocols to prevent illicit drugs from entering domestic distribution networks.

The three suspects were transferred to PDEA custody and face criminal charges for violating Section 4 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, in relation to the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.