The Judiciary Police (PJ) of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has nabbed three individuals who were suspected of drug trafficking in three separate cases during the past two days, the Macao Post Daily reported on Tuesday.

The three suspects, all from the Philippines, were apprehended at the Macao International Airport upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and a total of 2,900 grams of heroin were seized with an estimated street value of about 3 million patacas ( 380,000 U.S. dollars), the daily quoted a PJ spokesman as saying.

In the first case, a 28-year-old male Philippine surnamed Bergonia was taken into custody at the airport Sunday morning, as he was found to have swallowed a number of heroin capsules, according to the PJ. Following his arrest, the suspect later excreted 50 capsules weighing a total of 395 grams.

The second suspect, a 29-year-old female suspect surnamed Minguito, was arrested after the police found 2,133 grams of heroin in her suitcase upon her arrival on Sunday afternoon, according to the PJ.

Another 27-year-old male Philippine surnamed Lopez was also arrested as the police found 400 grams of heroin hidden in his shoes after arriving from Kuala Lumpur Monday morning, the PJ said.

The PJ spokesman also said that all the illegal drugs were believed to have been destined to the Chinese mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2009)