Rigaku’s handheld Raman analyzer was featured in a recent news report covering a high‑value drug seizure at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in the Philippines. Customs and Philippine National Police forces intercepted luggage containing suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of over PHP 43 million during a narcotics interdiction operation.
A narcotics detection dog helped initiate the investigation, and officers worked in coordination with airport security and anti‑illegal drug task forces to recover and confirm the contraband. In deployments such as this, law enforcement often pairs advanced screening technologies with traditional detection methods to rapidly and safely identify unknown substances.
Rigaku’s handheld Raman analyzers are used by agencies worldwide — including customs, police, and counter‑narcotics teams — to provide real‑time, on‑site identification of drugs, precursors, and controlled substances without direct contact or destructive sampling.
This incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by border and law enforcement agencies in combating the global narcotics trade, and the importance of equipping frontline officers with reliable analytical tools to support both interdiction and officer safety.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rigaku Analytical Devices.