Pinay in HK jail for alleged 'drug mule' role
A Filipina is currently detained in Hong Kong for allegedly carrying illegal drugs into the Chinese territory last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. The unidentified Filipina was arrested Wednesday last week at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly carrying 276 grams of cocaine and is currently detained at the Tai Lam Center for Women, the DFA said in a news release posted on its website on Saturday.
According to the DFA, the Filipina told representatives from the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong that the illegal drugs she was caught carrying came from a Chinese national now detained at the Parañaque City Jail, who recruited her and promised him payment for the delivery of the cocaine. She likewise said that she was asked to turn over the illegal drugs to a man who would meet her in Hong Kong upon her arrival. The Filipina has already appeared before the Tsuen Wan Magistrates’ Court on August 9, and is scheduled for another hearing on October 28, the DFA said. Under Hong Kong laws, possession of dangerous drugs is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of seven years and a maximum fine of HK$1,000,000. The incident prompted the DFA to reiterate its warning to Filipino travelers who act as drug mules in exchange for money.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos warned these Filipino drug mules of “stiff penalties" for travelers who are caught carrying illegal drugs into other countries. "We warn our countrymen not to accept packages which they suspect are drugs. If they are caught carrying illegal drugs, they will face very dire consequences. We also appeal to our public to be wary of the modus operandi used by drug-trafficking syndicates," he said in the same news release.
Two weeks ago, Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson was also arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly possessing 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of Valium. (See: CCTV shows Rep. Singson 'eluding' airport X-ray machine)—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV
Reposted From Andreo Calonzo of GMA News.TV
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