MANILA - The NAIA Drug Interdiction Task Group arrested a Norwegian passenger upon arriving at NAIA Terminal 3 from Dubai on Friday morning.

The arresting group is a composite team from the Bureau of Immigration, the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Airport Police, and the PNP Aviation Security Group.

The Customs collector said authorities conducted surveillance and caught the female passenger, 59, who arrived carrying prohibited drugs, leading to the arrest.

The drugs were kept inside a special compartment of the passenger's luggage.

It was first spotted at the Customs X-ray area, which led to the discovery of more than 8.34 kilos of high-grade shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) valued at P56.7 million.

In a statement, the Bureau of Customs said an X-ray agent alerted the BOC-NAIA and PDEA personnel of a screened baggage believed to contain illegal drugs at Terminal 3.

The foreigner brought in the baggage from Dubai, and the point of origin was Johannesburg, South Africa.

The passenger will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Drug Act, and RA 10863, the Customs Modernization And Tariff Act.

In August this year, authorities also arrested a passenger from South Africa who attempted to bring in P144.3 million worth of shabu.

— Report by Raoul Esperas

• 'Biggest drug haul': P6.7-B worth of alleged illegal drugs seized in NCR operations

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EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said the surveillance was prompted by a tip from the Dubai Intelligence. That line has been removed in this update.