Chinese woman caught at Cebu Airport with shabu worth 6.2 million pesos

Chinese woman detained at Cebu airport carrying P6.2M worth of shabu - www.philippineslifstyle.com
Chinese woman detained at Cebu airport carrying P6.2M worth of shabu – www.philippineslifstyle.com

A Chinese woman was detained at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) yesterday for allegedly being in possession of around four kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, known locally as shabu.

Liming Zhou, 27, arrived in Cebu just before midday on board a Cathay Pacific Flight from Hong Kong. It was not her first time in the Philippines, according to the Bureau of Immigration in Cebu. In fact, Zhou would travel through Cebu every two months.

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Customs officials apparently noticed that Zhou was “fidgety” on her way out, and when a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) K-9 sniffer dog reacted to her luggage they decided to take a closer look.

In her bag they found 4052.1 grams of shabu with a street value of about P6.2 million.

Zhou had an as yet unidentified contact waiting for her at the airport, but that individual took off as soon as she was detained.

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Investigators heard that Zhou’s trips to the Philippines were always dictated by a Canadian man who is a friend of Zhou’s cousin. The Chinese woman does not speak English and is being interrogated in relation to the incident with the help of a translator at the PNP Aviation Security Group office at the airport. The Chinese embassy has been notified of her detention.

Prosecutors in the city of Lapu-Lapu will charge Zhou for violating Republic Act 9165 – the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Ironically, Zhou’s arrest comes just a day after Chinese embassy officials said they fully supported Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs, expressing their country’s “willingness for effective cooperation.”

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