Customs-NAIA seizes guns, ammo bound for Taiwan

Two parcels of high-end guns and ammunition bound for Taiwan estimated at half a million pesos were confiscated by security personnel of the Bureau of Customs’ Port of NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport).

Alert customs personnel found four Glock 19 9-MM pistols, four Heckler & Koch P2000 V3 pistols, 20 magazines and 266 live rounds of ammunition concealed in secret compartments in tool boxes and solar panels.

The guns were purposely wrapped in lead sheets  to confuse X-ray screeners. According to experts, lead can distort the scanning capability of X-ray machines.

“But if we will rely solely on scan baka makalusot po kasi medyo hindi po malinaw ang magiging image. But siempre may duda po sa timbang ng mga items,” said lawyer Marlon Agaceta, chief of the Law Division of the Port of NAIA.

The senders and recipients of the seized outbound shipments have been identified based on transaction documents.

But Agaceta said: “Usually mga fictitious yan. But further investigation will be conducted to charge them if indeed they are existing.”

The Port of NAIA said the foiled arms trafficking could be part of a bigger plot.  “Ito siguro dahil kokonti lang, baka start lang nila, testing on how to do things; baka bigger scale later on,” Agaceta surmised. — RSJ, GMA News