2 Pinoys from Canada nabbed at NAIA with P300-M shabu in luggage
According to Marisol Abduhraman's report on 24 Oras on Tuesday, the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP AVSEGROUP) said a male Filipino passenger first arrived in Manila from a connecting flight in Hong Kong. An estimated 20 kilograms of shabu valued at P140 million was found in his luggage.
Meanwhile, a Filipino female traveler arrived in the afternoon with 24.2 kg or P164.7 million worth of shabu discovered in her belongings.
Authorities are now investigating if the two travelers are related to each other as the packaging of the shabu confiscated from them have the same packaging.
Asked if the suspects are connected with each another, PNP AVSEGROUP director Police Brigadier General Jason Capoy said, "There is a possibility. That is the angle that we are looking into."
"Pareho silang nanggaling sa Canada. Iniimbestigahan natin ngayon kung ano 'yung relationship ng dalawa, kung saan sila dumaan," said Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) spokesperson Joseph Frederick Calulut.
(They both came from Canada. We are now investigating their relationship with each other and where they passed through.)
The PDEA has yet to determine the origin of the drugs and the people behind them.
Investigation is still ongoing. Further, the two suspects now face complaints for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
GMA Integrated News is seeking comment from the suspects' camps regarding the matter. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/ VDV, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- GMA Network
DMW signs MOA with IBP, Tiktok to further efforts on OFW welfare
IBP President and Chair Attorney Allan Panolong and DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac shakes hands after signing a Memorandum of Agreement for the protection of overseas Filipino workers. Photo from Jiselle Anne Casucian, GMA Integrated News The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday signed a memorandum of agreement with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and Tiktok Philippines to provide legal assistance and a platform for easy access to information for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). During the signing, DMW Assistant Secretary Jerome Alcantara noted that many OFWs were in need of protection from various forms of abuse. 'We thank [the IBP] for an agreement that ensures access to the legal assistance and justice for the OFWs who may be vulnerable to trafficking, abuse, or labor violations. We thank IBP for standing with us to ensure that no OFW face legal paths alone,' he said. DMW Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication Services Bernard Olalia had shared that they handled more than 300 illegal recruitment cases so far in 2025, along with 27 human trafficking cases and 18 closure orders. 'What is important is whether it's online scam or non-online scam, our direction is to get through the process by rendering justice to our OFWs and being there to make sure na yung mga OFWs will be provided with all the assistance they need,' he said. IBP President and Chair Attorney Allan Panolong said their lawyers are willing to serve without charge, and that they were ready to assist as defenders of human rights. 'Every legal service provided is a step work, building society that is in favor, more implacable and more caring. What upholds the dignity of every Filipino. Through this collaboration, we embody the true spirit of service to the nation. We cannot say our efforts are complete if there are fellow Filipinos crying out for justice,' he said. Agreements between the DMW and IBP included public awareness efforts on rights of OFWs, joint discussions on migrant worker protection, studies on human rights issues affecting OFW, individual case referrals to appropriate legal intervention, joint response operations to violation cases, and free legal aid and rights education. 'We're fighting crime, we're fighting the wrongdoers, we're fighting those who prosecute or do harm to our OFWs. We're fighting for our OFWs who need protection, who need the legal arm of the law… It's really not just helping them file cases,' said DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac. 'We really need to help [OFWs] be guided by all these relevant law, laws that are very important to them,' he added. Meanwhile, the partnership between DMW and TikTok Philippines made way for intricate and further information efforts to combat illegal job recruitment, among others. The partnership between the two entities involve filtering of accounts with illegal recruitment or trafficking activities, joint awareness campaigns, promotion of verified accounts as trusted sources, training for identification of illegal recruitment and trafficking schemes, and further policy discussions on online safety and OFW protection. Tiktok Philippines also shared that they are working on a special leg of their #ThinkTwice campaign with the DMW, placing a primary focus on identifying and avoiding online job scams. 'Ensuring a safe space also means empowering our users to be more responsible over the content they consume, create, and share… We are honored to partner with the Department of Migrant Workers because our commitment is something that they share. The protection of all Filipino users, especially OFWs on our platform,' said Tiktok Philippines Public Policy Manager Peachy Paderna. 'Our goal is to safeguard and empower Filipinos with the tools to think critically online, recognize this information, and stay protected from online recruitment scams and other digital risks. We are actively and closely working with the DMW. We hope to keep overseas job seekers informed, empowered, and safe so they can focus on building a better life for their loved ones,' she added. Cacdac noted that the partnership with TIktok fell in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 's marching orders to enhance OFW welfare, protection, and empowerment. 'The message can be so simple as to finding illegal recruitment, maging matalino, wag magpaloko… All these things can be a venue for delivering so many simple messages, so many videos that we can all create together, and Tiktok is a powerful messenger for that,' he said. The DMW Secretary also shared that in signing both the TikTok and IBP agreements, the agency was able to show that there was a 'strategic complimentary approach' to protecting Filipino migrant workers. 'They remind us that no single solution exists to end trafficking. What we need is a whole of society approach, where law, media, government, private sector, and civil society emerge to uphold the rights of Filipinos and this is very well-reflected in the leadership and approach under the Bagong Pilipinas approach of our dear President,' Cacdac said. 'The Department of Migrant Workers, we carry the mandate not only to deploy but to defend not only to facilitate opportunities but fortify protections… and we cannot do it alone. Together, let us build a world where every Filipino who dreams of working abroad can do so with dignity, with protection, and with pride,' he continued. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
5 hours ago
- GMA Network
Koreans arrested for fake travel agency, streaming app scams in Pampanga
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested four Korean citizens in two separate operations in Pampanga. According to John Consulta's report in '24 Oras' on Wednesday, two Koreans were arrested for operating a fake travel agency while two others were allegedly masterminds of a streaming app scam. In one operation, personnel from BI's Fugitive Search Unit busted a residence after the Department of Tourism received complaints from some foreigners and Filipinos who were scammed by the illegitimate travel agency. Authorities found at the scene the desktop computers being used for the sham travel agency, the report added. 'Nagpapanggap nga sila na travel agency at nagtatawag sa kanilang mga biktima sa Korea upang alukin ng mga mababang flights at mababang rates sa mga hotels sa atin,' said BI Fugitive Search Unit chef Rendel Sy. (They were posing as a travel agency and were offering Koreans low rates for flights and hotels here in our country.) 'May nakausap tayong isang hotel sa Cebu at sinasabing may lumapag sa kanilang more than 30 Korean nationals na akala nila may booking sila dito sa isang 5-star hotel. Ngunit nung chineck ng hotel ay wala pong naka-register na booking itong grupong ito,' he added. (We talked to a hotel in Cebu and they told us that more than 30 Korean nationals went to them expecting that they already had a booking in this 5-star hotel. But when the hotel management checked, these foreigners did not make bookings.) In another operation, two other foreigners were arrested inside a villa for luring people to subscribe to an online streaming app. One of them is allegedly the leader of a scamming syndicate in South Korea, the report added. 'Na kukumbinsihin nila itong magpadala ng pera or mag-subscribe kung saan ito ay walang totoong subscription sa sinasabing movie streaming application,' Sy added. (They will convince them to send money or subscribe to a non-existent movie streaming application.) GMA Integrated News is trying to reach out to the arrested foreigners who will face summary deportation. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
Owner of Huthi-sunk ship calls on rebels to release crew — statement
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The owner of the Eternity C, a ship attacked by Yemen's Huthis, urged the rebels to release its crew members on Tuesday, a day after the group released footage of the mariners they claimed to have rescued. Earlier this month, the Huthis sank the Magic Seas and Eternity C cargo ships in separate Red Sea attacks, ending a months-long hiatus in their campaign against maritime traffic they accuse of links to Israel, begun over the Gaza war. On Monday, the rebels released footage of the missing mariners and said in a statement that they had rescued 11 crew members, including two who were injured, and recovered a body from aboard the ship before it sank. "We call on all parties to assist in reuniting the 11 individuals with their loved ones and hope that the Huthis will release our crew at the earliest opportunity," Cosmoship, which owns Eternity C, said in a statement. Following the Eternity C attack, the European Union's Operation Aspides naval task force told AFP that 15 of the 25 people on the ship were still missing -- with four of them presumed dead. Cosmoship expressed relief that "ten of our missing crew members, as well as one of the vessel's security guards (11 in total), are alive and appear to be receiving care", after viewing the video. "Our utmost priority remains the safety and well-being of these individuals. We continue to work through every available channel to support their continued care and to facilitate their safe and swift return home to their families," it added. Earlier Tuesday, the Philippines said it would ask "friendly countries" to help secure the release of nine Filipino sailors held by the Huthis. In January, the Yemeni rebels released the mostly Filipino crew of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, whom they had detained for more than a year, during a ceasefire in Gaza. — Agence France-Presse
