Aguirre directs NBI to probe busted human trafficking attempts

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe recent foiled attempts by a syndicate to smuggle illegal aliens to the United Kingdom using Manila as a jump off point.

Aguirre said the NBI, in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration (BI), will have to find out who are involved in the human trafficking syndicate and press charges against them.

The BI Port Operations Division reported that from November 25 to December 4 a total of five foreign transit passengers were intercepted by BI agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for involvement in human smuggling.

“They were all found in possession of spurious travel documents which they intended to use in gaining illegal entry to the UK,” said BI-POD chief Marc Red Mariñas.

The apprehended passengers, who arrived on four separate dates and flights, included two Chinese, two Iranians and a Somali.

The Chinese citizens carried tampered Macau passports while the Iranians presented Slovakian and French passports, respectively. The Somali pretended to be a Swedish citizen.

"Human smuggling and human trafficking are truly despicable acts that deserve the highest condemnation. Such a dehumanizing practice merits condemnation and punishment. I always say, nobody has any right to profit from the freedom and dignity of others," Aguirre said.

Aguirre also lauded the efforts of the BI for foiling human smuggling attempts.

As this developed, Mariñas instructed members of the bureau’s border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) to assign undercover agents who will monitor all arriving foreign transit passengers.

Mariñas said the BCIU personnel were also told to closely scrutinize the travel papers of all transit passengers before they are escorted to the departure gate and made to board connecting flights to their final destinations.

"As standard operating procedure, foreigners transiting at the NAIA are escorted by BCIU personnel to the boarding gates where they are turned over to the concerned airlines of their connecting flight," the BI said. — RSJ, GMA News