Malaysian national arrested for possession of drugs at Zamboanga City international airport
text & photos HADER GLANG

Supt. Ibar Elumba Padao, chief of the 9th Police Center for Aviation Security, interrogates Kosalai Kumaran Poornavelu, a Malaysian national who was arrested at the Zamboanga City International Airport for alleged possession of Marijuana.

Police aviation security forces arrested Monday morning a Malaysian national for possession of illegal drugs at the Zamboanga City International Airport.

Supt. Ibar Elumba Padao, chief of the 9th Police Center for Aviation Security, identified the suspect as Kosalai Kumaran Poornavelu, a resident at 15 Brosh Drive 30350, Ipok Perak, Malaysia.
Poornavelu, 50, arrived at the Zamboanga City airport around 10:50 a.m. from Davao City via Cebu Pacific and was about to check in for a connecting flight bound for Malaysia when intercepted.

Padao said airport personnel found three-sachet type of cellophane containing dried leaves of marijuana (cannabis sativa) when the suspect’s baggage was manually inspected.

“Our personnel supervising the x-ray machine backed by SPO3 Ernesto Saluna and PO3 Ferdinand Almoite apprehended the suspect and confiscated some suspicious items,” he added.

The arrested Malaysian national was placed in the custody of the 9th police aviation group following his arrest at the airport for further interrogation. He was later taken to the PDEA crime laboratory for examination.

As of press time, the suspect was turned over to the 9th police aviation group and placed under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) regional office here.

Appropriate charges would be filed against Poornavelu for violation of Dangerous Drugs Act, according to Padao. But the arrested Malaysian national denied possessing the dried Marijuana leaves. He claimed he is a physician by profession.