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A woman was arrested Saturday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after allegedly attempting to smuggle in an estimated PHP20 million worth of jewelry.
The suspect arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 at around 9pm and said nothing in her three bags was worth declaring for import duties and taxes.
Airport authorities, however, have earlier placed the suspect under close watch, following information from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Intelligence Group that she may try to slip in contraband items from Hong Kong.
Upon inspection, the airport police found 259 pieces of jewelry concealed with clothes inside the woman’s hand-carried trolley
Among the luxury items were necklaces, bracelets, earrings and others inlaid with diamonds, pearls, and precious stones. Each item had been tagged with a control number.
BOC intelligence officer Joel Pinawin said the suspect also allegedly tried to escape from the authorities twice.
The woman claimed that she only went to Hong Kong to meet her fiance whose flight had stopped there for a layover.
She said that while at the airport, she came upon an acquaintance, identified as Lydia Cheung, who pleaded with her to bring the jewelry back home.
Cheung allegedly instructed her to meet another person in Manila to turn over the luxury items. The suspect agreed on the promise that she will receive a cellphone in exchange for the favor
The suspect remains under the custody of the BOC. She will be brought before the Fiscal’s Office for inquest
The confiscated jewelry has been placed under the BOC’s keeping. (from a report by Kevin Manalo, ABS-CBN News)
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
