After another Filipina was nabbed for drug trafficking in Indonesia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated its warning to overseas Filipino workers not to accept offers of money from fellow travelers in exchange for carrying luggage.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the DFA said the Filipina was apprehended last April 3 at the Adi Sumarmo Airport in Central Java in Indonesia for carrying 1.193 kgs of heroin.
The department refused to disclose her real identity.
The Filipina was arrested by the Indonesian customs and excise officers upon her arrival there via Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, the department said.
Initial investigation said that a Philippine-based member of an international drug syndicate sent the Filipina to Indonesia in exchange for $8,000.
At the moment, the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta is providing assistance to the Filipina to ensure that her rights are respected, according to the DFA.
“The Philippine government has a strong anti-illegal drug policy and is closely cooperating with law enforcement agencies in other countries on efforts against anti-drugs trafficking,” the department said.
“It is undertaking comprehensive and proactive measures to address the drug mules issue and to prevent the further victimization of Filipinos by international drug syndicates,” it added.
The DFA said the apprehension of another Filipina must serve as a reminder to Filipinos overseas to be careful and not to allow them to be used as drug mules.
“Harsh penalties await them in their destinations,” the department pointed out. On March 30 this year, three Filipino drug couriers were executed in China.
According to the DFA, there are 73 Filipinos in China who were meted death penalties with two-year reprieves. In China, drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs is punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment, or death.
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