A Filipina woman found to be carrying ilegal drugs was nabbed by the Bureau of Immigration – Anti-Terrorist Group (BI-ATG) on Thursday night.
According to BI-ATG head Bienvenido Castillo III. the suspect, Joy Dagonano Gulmatico, 29, was intercepted right after she arrived from Sierra Leone aboard an Ethiopian Air flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
Castillo said they monitored a suspicious flight pattern taken by the subject, hence, they immediately recommended that she be inspected by members of the NAIA drug interdiction task group (DITG).
Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel inspected Gulmatico’s luggage and found suspicious substances concealed inside the lining of four handbags and one suitcase.
NAIA-DITG members including personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police (PNP) Aviation Security Group, Airport Police Department, PNP Drug Enforcement Group and National Bureau of Investigation assisted in the inspection.
Testing by BOC personnel confirmed that the powdery substance is positive for cocaine, totaling to 4.574 kilograms with a street value of more than P24 million.
Authorities held the subject for inquest proceedings and she is now facing charges for drug trafficking.
