MANILA, Philippines — Sniffing dogs have been stationed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to detect large amounts of money that passengers may try to secretly take out of the country.
In a bid to strengthen efforts against money laundering, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) has entered into an agreement with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Customs District 3 Collector Yasmin Mapa said that due to the increasing number of cases of passengers trying to take currency out of the country, K-9 unit dogs specialized in smelling large amounts of cash are ready to do their task.
Deputy Collector for Passenger Services Mark Almase said they have noticed an increase in travelers smuggling significant amounts of money, thus evading taxes
BoC-NAIA reported that a Chinese woman traveler was apprehended by security during the final inspection for not declaring over US$10,000 in her possession, in violation of Philippine Customs regulations.
The BoC said that bringing out more than US$10,000 or its equivalent is illegal unless declared.
Trained by the PCG, the K-9s will be deployed at the NAIA terminals’ arrival and departure areas to enhance BoC’s anti-money laundering operations.
