CEBU CITY -- Two Chinese nationals were apprehended at Mactan Cebu International Airport on Wednesday after they were found carrying three kilos of ephedrine, a chemical used in making several substances, including shabu.
What first got the authorities' attention was not the ephedrine, but the US$20,000 that one of the arrivals, Xiuyu Tan, allegedly failed to declare.
Authorities said they found the ephedrine in the checked-in luggage.
Bureau of Customs (BOC) Cebu District Collector Ronnie Silvestre confirmed that Iek Man Wong, 54, and Tan, 27, were held upon their arrival at 4:30 a.m. from Hong Kong on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 239.
Ester Nario, officer-in-charge of the Mactan Customs Subport, said that Wong was already cleared and near the exit of the international arrivals terminal when Tan went through customs.
She had one hand-carried bag and checked-in luggage.
Customs examiners German Antopina and Ervin Ho asked Tan to open her hand-carried bag because the BOC has no X-ray machine for it. They found that Tan was carrying $US20,000, which she failed to indicate in her customs declaration.
Aware of the long line of passengers behind Tan, Antopina said he instructed her to proceed to the customs office at the airport for questioning by Fe Toring, customs deputy collector for airport services.
Wong followed them.
After seizing the US$20,000, customs personnel proceeded to inspect the checked-in luggage, where they found three kilos of powder in sachets.
Antopina then invited the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to conduct further investigation.
Carlito Ermac, chief of PDEA's AK2 at the airport, responded together with two colleagues and two dogs trained to sniff out illegal drugs.
PDEA-Central Visayas Director II Levi S. Ortiz said the powder was identified as ephedrine during the initial, on-the-spot screening.
"This is our basis to temporarily detain the two nationals for 36 hours," said Ortiz.
In the meantime, PDEA-Central Visayas sent samples of the seized powder to Manila for a more comprehensive laboratory examination.
If the lab test confirms that it was ephedrine, Wong and Tan will face criminal charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Ortiz said.
Silvestre said he is waiting for the incident report from the BOC Enforcement and Security Service, headed by Captain Jerry Arrizabal. If the evidence merits it, he will issue a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the $US20,000 and the ephedrine.
Passengers are required to declare all amounts beyond US$10,000.
Tan reportedly told Antopina the powder was a food preservative.
