The suspect was identifi ed as Alan Soo Hoo who was presented to the media here on Monday by the Clark Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group headed by newly appointed Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) OIC Alex Cauguiran.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) K-9 offi cer Lee Ayrick T. Balong’s fouryear-old Belgian Malinois named Buddy was able to detect the cocaine after sniffi ng the suspect’s hand luggage by giving the positive signal of sitting down once drug is detected.
Balong said he made sure that Buddy did not commit a mistake by making him do the same procedure again where the dog repeated the signal positive for illegal drugs.
The contraband was found inside the bag’s lining, weighing 2.3 kilo grams with a street value of P8 million per kilo or more than P16 million total worth, according to PDEA Region 3 public information offi cer Glenn Guillermo.
He said Hoo’s hand luggage went through the x-ray machine after the dog made a positive ID. But the bag was still heavy even after removing its contents. It was then that a secret compartment was found in the lining where 2.3 kilograms of cocaine in two big plastic bags was hidden, he added.
“Patuloy po naming binabantayan ang Clark airport lalu na sa mga gustong magtangka na magpuslit ng ilegal na droga (We are continuously guarding Clark airport against those who want to smuggle illegal drugs),” Guillermo said.
According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), this is the fi rst time that the suspect came into the country.
Guillermo said Hoo will be charged for violation of Section 5 of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Cauguiran said the suspect was travelling all alone with a tourist visa.
The Clark Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group is composed of CIAC, PDEA, BI, Bureau of Customs (BOC), Quarantine, and the Philippine National Police.
Hoo is reportedly a resident of New York, USA who went to Brazil where he stayed for 10 days before travelling to Dubai where he boarded Emirates fl ight EK338 bound for Cebu and finally to this airport.
“We have an inter-agency task force here that assists and coordinate with one another to stem the flow of contraband to the country via this airport,” said Cauguiran.
He added that there is already an intelligence report that this airport might be used as transshipment for illegal drugs.
Hoo was taken by the Aviation Security Police for inquest after he was presented to the media on Monday.
