Manila: An African woman with Ugandan passport was arrested at Manila's international airport for carrying a 4.5 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu worth P 25 million (Dh 2.08 million), a local paper said.
Josephine Balikudembe, 54, was arrested at Pasay City's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), following her arrival aboard Emirate Airlines flight EK 334, from Dubai (via Mali) at 10 Saturday evening, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director Jeffrey Tacio told Manila Standard Today.
Inspectors found the illegal drugs in the lining of her luggage, Customs Collector Marlon Almeda said, adding a joint task force composed of PDEA and customs agents received a tip about Balikudembe's arrival
In defense, Balikudembe her cousin Robin gave her the luggage and instructed her that It would be picked up at the hotel where she would be billeted.
She was held at PDEA's detention centre and was taken for inquest at Pasay City's regional trial court.
Last Feb.27, Lina Aching Noah, 36, a Kenyan national, was arrested at NAIA after authorities found nine kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu in the lining of her luggage. The confiscated contraband was worth P 45 million (Dh 3.75 million).
