Alleged Pinay drug courier nabbed in HK a frequent traveler – BI


ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 17 2016 12:31 PM
MANILA - The Filipina caught with high-grade cocaine at an airport in Hong Kong last July 30, 2016 is a frequent traveler, Bureau of Immigration records revealed.
The BI said records show that Ann Raian Santos Cruz has traveled to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Doha, Qatar; Singapore; and Hong Kong.
Cruz was caught with 2 packs of high-grade cocaine concealed inside her hand-carried bag.
During the initial interrogation by Hong Kong Interpol, Cruz claimed that a female Filipino friend gave her the handbag that was supposedly given as a gift by her foreign boyfriend.
While records showed Cruz is a frequent traveler, it has yet to be established that she had smuggled cocaine in and out of the Philippines during her other trips.
Philippine authorities are coordinating with their foreign counterparts to establish Cruz's possible connection with any drug syndicate.
Several airport security screeners from the Office of Transport Security are also being investigated for their failure to detect the cocaine during Cruz's departure.
There are several incidents of major security breaches involving suspected Filipino drug mules and the Office of Transport Security has yet to come out with result of their investigation. - Raoul Esperas

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