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Suspected human trafficker arrested at NAIA

Flipinos seeking jobs abroad were were warned anew by authorities against illegal recruiters after a suspected member of a human trafficking syndicate was recently arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) today disclosed that the suspected trafficker was arrested while escorting five victims who were about to board a flight to Tokyo, Japan at Naia Terminal 3 last October 11.

Immigration port operations division chief Grifton Medina told media that the suspect’s attempt to sneak the five victims out of the country was uncovered due to the inconsistent answers of the victims to the queries of immigration officers.

Four of the victims said they are employees of the suspect’s travel consultancy business while the other victim said that he is a public transport operator.

“Except for IDs purportedly showing they work at the travel agency, the four passengers were unable to provide proof of their employer-employee relationship with the suspect,” Timotea Barizo, head of the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) said.

“This caused our officers to doubt their story, hence they were interviewed to check the authenticity of their statements,” she added.

Three of the victims were first-time travelers while the two others were former OFWs.

Two of the victims even had fake stamps on their passports, Barizo said.

The suspected trafficker was brought to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for the filing of charges.

Staff Report

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