NBI Arrests Two for Alleged Extortion in Manila Customs Case

MANILA — The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested two individuals in connection with an alleged extortion scheme involving a shipment held at customs, authorities said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the NBI said its Organized and Transnational Crime Division (OTCD), under the leadership of Director Jaime B. Santiago (Ret.), apprehended Wyeth Navalles y Lara and her sister, Leila Navalles y Lara, during a sting operation at a coffee shop in Ermita, Manila on June 3.

The arrests followed a complaint filed against Wyeth Navalles, a licensed customs broker, who allegedly demanded PHP1.9 million ($32,000) in bribes from a client after receiving an agreed-upon payment of PHP 500,000 to process an import shipment.

Despite the payment of PHP 220,938 in official duties and taxes, Navalles allegedly claimed the shipment was being held due to a misdeclaration and solicited additional funds—purportedly to be distributed among officials in the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Authorities launched a joint entrapment operation involving the NBI-OTCD and the BOC’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).

Investigators said Wyeth accepted marked money from the complainant and issued an acknowledgment receipt before operatives moved in and placed both suspects under arrest.

The suspects were taken to the NBI headquarters for post-arrest procedures. Forensic tests later confirmed traces of fluorescent powder on Wyeth’s hands, indicating contact with the marked cash.

Both individuals have been charged with robbery by means of violence or intimidation through extortion under the Revised Penal Code and were presented for inquest before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office.

NBI Director Santiago lauded the success of the operation and stressed the importance of inter-agency coordination in combating corruption and organized crime.