Authorities arrest Colombian for attempted cocaine smuggling

November 14, 2017

A Colombian was arrested by authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Monday as he tried to smuggle more than P8 million worth of cocaine by swallowing it before he left for Manila, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.

Alberto Quijano Pedraza, 67, arrived on an Emirates Airways flight from Dubai Monday. Alerted by the US Department of Homeland Security, BI intelligence officer Bienvenido Castillo immediately relayed the information to the NAIA-DITG ( Drug Interdiction Task Group).

“When he arrived at past 4 pm and presented himself at the immigration counter BI operatives immediately informed other members of the task group that the subject has been positively identified and tagged,” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

Castillo, in his after-operations report, said Pedraza seemed ill at ease, apprehensive and acted suspiciously. Pedraza tried to enter the men’s room at the Customs’ area where NAIA-DITG members accosted him to prevent him from dumping the drugs he ingested into the toilet bowl.

Pedraza was later brought to the Pasay General Hospital where x-ray results revealed that he had 79 pellets, each containing 15 grams of cocaine, in his intestines. DMS