📷: Anson Que
Authorities arrested 11 passengers, including nine foreigners, at Mactan Cebu International Airport on Friday night after they were caught transporting more than P441 million in undeclared cash, raising suspicions of money laundering and links to recent criminal activity.
The passengers—six Chinese nationals, a Malaysian, an Indonesian, a Kazakhstani, and two Filipinos—were intercepted around 11:30 p.m. as they attempted to board a flight to Manila.
Airport security officers discovered large sums of money stashed in seven of their bags, each weighing 70 kilograms. The haul included P441.92 million, US$168,730, and HK$1,000, according to the Philippine National Police.
“This is a massive amount of undeclared money,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said during a Saturday briefing at Camp Crame. “There’s a strong possibility the funds are co-mingled and may be tied to other illicit activities.”
The suspects initially failed to provide any documentation to justify the money. A certificate from a Cebu casino was submitted hours later, around 3 a.m. Saturday, claiming the cash was from gambling winnings under a junket operator named “White Horse.”
Authorities noted that “White Horse” is the same name linked to an electronic wallet used to funnel ransom payments in the recent kidnap-slay case involving businessman Anson Que.
Investigators are now tracing the source of the intercepted funds to determine whether they are connected.
“When our Aviation Security Group personnel intercepted the 11 men, they were unable to present a document as to why they were in possession of that large amount of money,” AVSEG Director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia said.
Under Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas rules, passengers must declare any amount exceeding P50,000 or US$10,000 in foreign currency.
“Napakalaking halaga ng pera po ito and two days prior sa election ay di nila maipaliwanag saan galing itong pera na ito. Parang inihabol na lang nitong junket operator just to justify saan po galing itong pera po na ito, pero kaduda duda po ‘yan dahil puro mga foreigners ang mga may bitbit ng mga pera na ito,” Fajardo said.
The suspects now face potential charges for currency smuggling, violating anti-money laundering laws, and immigration violations.
The cash and suspects have been turned over to the PNP’s Aviation Security Group as investigations continue. (TCSP)
