US citizen held at NAIA over tooter

MANILA, Philippines — A United States citizen bound for Legazpi was detained after screeners at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) found a tooter hidden in his waistband yesterday.

Hawkins Mariner Augustus, 40, was about to board the flight for Legazpi, Albay when he triggered the metal detector at the airport’s final security checkpoint, according to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-NAIA head Gerald Javier.

Office of Transportation Security personnel manning the checkpoint frisked Augustus and found the tooter, which tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride, Javier said.

Augustus – who kept mum following his arrest – was supposed to attend a wedding in Legazpi, Javier said.