KOREAN ARRESTED FOR UNDECLARED 47-MILLION JAPANESE YEN

A SOUTH Korean passenger on Thursday was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after Customs officials discovered undeclared 47 million Japanese yen or more than P17 million in his check-in luggage.

Customs assistant deputy collector for passenger services Mark Almase said their x-ray inspection detected the foreign bills in the luggage of Kim Tae-hyun upon the Korean’s arrival at the NAIA Terminal 3 from Tokyo,  Japan.

A Customs examiner asked Tae-hyun if he had something to declare, to which the Korean replied, “none.”

Customs also scanned the Customs General Declaration QR code and noted that the Korean ticked “No” for all items.

The Korean was invited to the exclusion room for physical examination of his luggage.

A subsequent physical examination on Tae-hyun’s luggage revealed several bundles of Japanese yen.

Tae-hyun will be charged with violation of the regulations of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Cross Border Transfer of Currencies and Republic Act No. 10863 also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

“Illegal activities such as this undermine the integrity of the financial system and puts the Philippines at risk of becoming a potential hub for financial crimes,” Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio said.

“We are determined to crack down on these schemes through active coordination with AMLC, BSP, and other law enforcement agencies involved,” said Rubio.

“We are actively strengthening our efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing through enhanced measures and proactive collaboration,” he added.