MIAA investigating personnel in HK drug trade

Cruz's handbag (Hong Kong Customs photo)

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is investigating several airport personnel allegedly involved in the trafficking of illegal drugs to Hong Kong, MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said this morning (August 17).

Monreal said that they have identified the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) personnel who “transacted” with the Filipina arrested in Hong Kong on July 30 after she was caught with $750,000 (P4.5 million) worth of cocaine.

Monreal said he is just waiting for the results of a parallel investigation conducted by the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) before he can release the names of the suspects.

The suspects—OTS security screening officers—are being questioned as to why they did not detect the cocaine in the handbag of Filipina Ann Raian Santos Cruz.

Cruz was arrested at the Chek Lap Kok International Airport on July 30 after customs officials found two slabs of suspected cocaine in her bag. Immigration records in the Philippines showed that Cruz, who claimed to be a telephone operator, was a frequent traveler, going to Malaysia, Qatar, and Singapore.

Customs officials reported that, during a spot x-ray check of her luggage, they noticed suspicious images of what was inside her handbag.

A thorough examination revealed two slabs of suspected cocaine, the first one weighing about 330 grams and the second, 390 grams. They were concealed in false compartments of the bag. Cruz reportedly claimed that another Filipina gave her the handbag, which was supposedly a gift of that Filipina’s foreign boyfriend.

Under Hong Kong’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million.