Venezuelan woman arrested at airport for carrying cocaine
Authorities arrested a Venezuelan woman on Monday for carrying 4.35 kilograms of cocaine worth P20 million at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
The suspect identified as Genesis Lorena Pineda-Salazar, 22, a native of Caracas, was apprehended by airport authorities around 5 pm.
Chief Superintendent Mao Aplasca, director of the Aviation Security Group, said in a text message they received a tip from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency around 11 am a drug courier from Sao Paolo was enroute to Manila with a big amount of illegal drugs.
Acting on the information, an interdiction team waited for the suspect's arrival who was on board a United Arab Emirates flight from Brazil via Dubai.
Salazar was placed under custody and her baggage inspected. The bag contained plastic bottles of shampoos and hair bleach.
However, instead of hair products, the bottles contained 4.35 kilos of cocaine and 677.4 grams of methylenedioxy pryovalerone, a stimulant.
Arnel Alcaraz, acting chief of the Bureau of Customs' Enforcement Group, said Salazar is most likely related to previous arrest of foreigners, including a Brazilian woman who was caught also at NAIA Terminal 3 with 6.2 kilos of cocaine last Saturday.
"If you connect the dots, it seems the origins are the same," Alcaraz said in a TV interview.
One Russian, two Hong Kong nationals and one Brazilian were arrested by airport authorities in the last few days for carrying illegal drugs.
Salazar, according to Alcaraz, denied she is the owner of the prohibited drugs. Emmanuel Tupas/DMS
