CAAP has no record of private jet linked to Laos drug seizure

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said it has no verified record of a private jet linked to the seizure of 521 kilograms of methamphetamine, locally known as shabu, in Laos on 23 September entering Philippine airspace.

“No verified record of private jet's entry into Philippine airspace,” CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio told the Daily Tribune in a Viber message.

Apolonio said the aircraft, registered in the United States under tail number N73GP, was not under CAAP jurisdiction.

“None was retrieved in the past 90 days as far as N73GP is concerned,” he said.

Philippine authorities are coordinating with foreign counterparts to verify reports that separate shipments of illegal drugs seized in Laos and Thailand were allegedly bound for the Philippines.

A report by the South China Morning Post said Laotian authorities confiscated 521 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine from a private jet.

The Bangkok Post also reported that police intercepted more than a ton of crystal methamphetamine worth 1.2 billion baht, or about P2.2 billion, from a boat in the Gulf of Thailand.

The confiscated drugs were reportedly being transported to the Philippines.