Manila: The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has intercepted a Vietnamese woman wanted for drug-related offenses at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and arrested six foreign nationals, including two Chinese fugitives, in a separate operation in Pasay City.
According to Philippines News Agency, the BI reported that the 25-year-old Vietnamese fugitive was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 1 upon arriving from Phnom Penh via a Philippine Airlines flight on April 29. Immigration officers flagged the fugitive after detecting an International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) hit during primary inspection. Further verification confirmed that she was the subject of an active Interpol Red Notice issued by Vietnamese authorities a day earlier for allegedly facilitating the illegal use of narcotic substances.
The BI Interpol Unit coordinated with Vietnamese authorities, who confirmed the warrant against her. BI Interpol Unit chief Peter de Guzman stated that the Vietnamese had allegedly evaded authorities after facilitating drug-use activities in Vietnam in 2022 and fleeing during a police operation. The BI said Vietnam's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Hanoi was immediately informed of the interception through NCB Manila, while the Vietnamese Embassy in Manila formally requested her return to Vietnam to face prosecution. The Vietnamese fugitive was excluded from entering the country and boarded a flight to Hanoi on the morning of April 30. The BI also placed her on its blacklist, permanently barring her from re-entering the Philippines.
Meanwhile, BI operatives arrested a 34-year-old Chinese fugitive and five other foreign nationals during an enforcement operation along Roxas Boulevard Service Road in Barangay 13, Pasay City, on Wednesday. The Chinese national is wanted in China for allegedly concealing illegal financial gains. The BI said the operation was launched following a request for assistance coursed through Philippine authorities regarding the suspect's active criminal detention warrant.
During the raid, agents found five other Chinese nationals inside the premises. Four of them, aged 32 to 39, were allegedly operating computer workstations and electronic devices suspected to be linked to online fraud activities. Further verification showed that one of the individuals was also wanted in China for fraud, while three others were found to be overstaying in the Philippines. Another suspect, 47, was arrested after failing to present a valid passport or immigration documents. The operation was conducted by the BI's Fugitive Search Unit in coordination with Chinese authorities, the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, and the Philippine Air Force. All six individuals are facing immigration charges and are currently detained at the BI facility in Taguig City.
