A controlled delivery operation inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 in Pasay City around 1 a.m. Saturday led in the arrest of a 40-year old South African national who was found carrying over P92 million worth of shabu, a report to Philippine National Police chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. said.

Members of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group’s Intelligence and Foreign Liaison Division, along with officers from the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group launched the operation which resulted in the arrest of Irene Caroline Botha, a resident of 578 Boland Street, Withok Estate, Brakpan Gauteng, a town in South Africa, said PNP-DEG director, Brigadier Gen. Narciso D. Domingo.

Confiscated from the possession of the suspect was a luggage with assorted clothes as well as two improvised pouches found containing 13,565 grams of the so-called ‘poor man’s cocaine’ valued at P92,252,000.

The drugs were wrapped with carbon paper in an apparent effort by the syndicate to elude detection by authorities.

Brig. Gen. Domingo said that just like the 59-year old Norwegian arrested for carrying P56 million worth of shabu at NAIA Terminal 3 on Friday morning, the South African national also came from Dubai.

The PNP-DEG is helping the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency headed by Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva in identifying the local counterparts of the two foreign drug couriers, said Domingo.

Around 12:30 a.m. Friday, NAIA-IADITG operatives including those from the PNP-DEG arrested Rose Alex Moi, a resident of Hovik, Norway for attempting to smuggle 8,340 grams of shabu worth P56,712,000. Moi was described as widowed Special Psychiatrist from Sarbuvollvelen, Hovik, Norway.

The drugs were found inside a luggage with assorted clothes. They were concealed in five improvised pouches fashioned from packaging tape with gray tape.

Both suspects were placed under questioning after an x-ray examination of their luggage yielded the contrabands.

Members of the NAIA-IADITG composed of officers from the PNP-DEG, the PDEA the Bureau of Customs were involved in the two major drug hauls.

The recovered prohibited drugs were placed under the custody of the PDEA while charges for trafficking and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being readied against the two suspects.

The seizure of the drugs came in the wake of the intensified partnership between the PNP headed by Gen. Azurin and the PDEA under Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva.