ZAMBOANGA CITY ,Philippines – A councilor of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi was arrested inside the Zamboanga International Airport (ZIA) for illegal possession of shabu and other drug paraphernalia while he was about to depart for his home province, according to airport police here.
The suspect, identified as Marvin Jaafar Aksan, 42, councilor of Bongao, the capital town of Tawi-Tawi province, was nabbed Saturday morning.
Police Inspector Victoriano Bato, deputy chief of the Police Aviation Security Group (ASG) said that Aksan arrived from Manila aboard Philippine Airlines (PAL) PR123 first flight with a connecting flight to Bongao via Air Philippines.
Bato said Aksan was passing through a final security check prior to his departure to Bongao when the security personnel asked him if he has a lighter and to surrender it.
When the security guard frisked him for final check up they detected a pack of cigarette from Aksan and requested the latter to take it out from his pocket.
According to Bato, while Aksan was in the process of taking out the pack of cigarette a folded paper fell from the pack and crystalline granules spilled, prompting the security to hold the official.
The security recovered from Aksan a pack of cigarette, one cut-folded paper wrapped with tape containing two small sachets of suspected shabu.
In coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) the confiscated substance from Aksan was shabu, the police said.
The suspect, who is temporarily detained at the PDEA regional office, denied he owned the prohibited substance, according to PDEA Regional Director Superintendent Adzhar Albani.