FACT CHECK: Plane with drugs not same aircraft used to fly Duterte to The Hague

The tail number of the aircraft used to transport former president Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague does not match that of the jet carrying suspected illegal drugs from Laos, contrary to claims in social media posts

AT A GLANCE

• A Facebook post falsely claimed that a jet carrying illegal drugs from Laos is the same plane used by former President Rodrigo Duterte to travel to The Hague.
• Fact-checking revealed that the drug-carrying plane, with tail number N73GP, is a different model from the Gulfstream G550 used by Duterte, which has tail number RP-C5219.
• The drug plane was reported to be carrying 521 kilograms of suspected shabu worth P3.1 million, and Duterte is currently facing trial related to his drug war campaign.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

Claim: The post claimed that the plane found to be carrying illegal drugs from Laos is the same one used in bringing former president Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this:  Amid recent reports of an aircraft from Laos allegedly carrying illegal drugs bound for the Philippines, a Facebook post by Tinood Politiko, which has garnered nearly 1,000 shares, claimed that the aircraft was the same one used to transport former president Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague, the Netherlands.

The post also used AI-generated photo showing an aircraft and Duterte with the overlay text: “SAME AIRPLANE LEARJET 55B N73GP” and “KATAPATAN BA ITO O MALALIM NA KONEKSYON?”

(Same airplane Learjet 55B N73GP. Is this right or there is a deeper connection?)

The facts: Upon verification, the jet plane flagged in Laos has a tail number showing “N73GP,”a 1986 model of Gates Learjet 55B, which is different from the plane that carried Duterte to The Hague, Netherlands on March 11, 2025. 

Reports show that the plane used to to fly Duterte was Gulfstream G550 with tail number “RP-C5219” contrary to the fake post. 

The jet plane with alleged illegal drugs was reported by a Malaysian media site, containing 521 kilograms of suspected shabu worth P3.1 million, and is allegedly bound for the Philippines.

One of the plane’s passengers is a Filipino citizen, who reportedly booked the aircraft supposedly to move vape products. 

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) spokesperson Joseph Frederick Calulut shared on October 11 that full details have not been received from the Malaysian authorities. 

Ongoing trial:  Last October 13, Duterte attended a status conference at the International Criminal Court, prior to his full trial on November 30. The prosecution has presented further evidence against the former president and emphasized their relevance to the drug war campaign. 

Duterte will be tried in connection with his crimes against humanity case resulting from his bloody war on drugs.  — Axel Cainglet/Rappler.com

Axel John Cainglet is a political science student at the University of the Philippines Manila. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow for 2026, he is also the editor-in-chief of The Manila Collegian.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.