CAAP confirms permit request from meth jet

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has confirmed that a US-registered private jet linked to the seizure of more than 500 kilograms of suspected shabu in Laos had applied for a flight permit to the Philippines, but never landed in the country.

CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the agency received a flight permit application on 24 September for the aircraft, which was intercepted in Laos in connection with a suspected drug shipment reportedly worth P3.54 billion.

The agency said the jet had also submitted three earlier requests before its application, but its planned landing in the Philippines did not push through.

CAAP said the private jet was registered in the United States, as were the two pilots identified in the flight records through the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Apolonio said CAAP was participating in the investigation.

Lao authorities seized 521 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, locally known as shabu, at Luang Prabang International Airport on 1 October. The shipment was reportedly intended for the Philippine market.

The seizure prompted investigations into possible links to the Philippines and the individuals who arranged the flight and shipment.

Authorities have yet to establish publicly whether the jet’s permit applications were directly connected to the seized drugs.

Transnational coordination

Government agencies have moved to strengthen coordination and tighten measures against transnational drug trafficking following reports of illegal drug shipments intercepted in Laos and Thailand that were reportedly bound for the Philippines.

An inter-agency meeting on 14 October at the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) building in Camp Crame, Quezon City, focused on consolidating and validating information on the shipments, identifying potential security vulnerabilities, and developing proactive measures to prevent, detect and address cross-border drug trafficking and related organized crime.

PCTC executive director Romeo C. Prestoza, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director general Isagani R. Nerez, and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission executive director Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. presided over the meeting.

Officials and representatives from other concerned agencies also attended, including the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

During the meeting, the participating agencies deliberated on strengthened inter-agency measures and coordinated initiatives that outline the government’s capability to detect, prevent and investigate illegal drugs across all ports of the country’s entry and exit.