500 Pinoys jailed on drug charges worldwide
JOSEPH HOLANDES UBALDE, GMANews.TV
11/10/2009 | 09:37 PM
Around 500 Filipinos are in various jails around the world due to drug smuggling, with 210 of them detained in China alone, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
Joselito Jimeno, Philippine Consul General in Guangzhou, China, said 95 Filipinos are currently languishing in various jails in Chinese territories – four of whom are on death row.
Jimeno said unsuspecting Filipinos are usually duped by foreign drug syndicates, even sometimes through fellow Filipinos, into smuggling illegal drugs for $500 to $2,000 a trip.
In comparison, other Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam have only about 10 to 20 jailed nationals each.
The DFA also noted that in the Middle East, more women are languishing in jails on drug charges than males.
Of the 62 Filipinos jailed on drug-related cases in the oil-rich region, about 43 are female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) incarcerated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The DFA said that it is closely monitoring these cases but warned Filipinos against drug trafficking in the Middle East since these countries have strict laws against the possession of prohibited substances.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency spokesperson Derrick Carreon earlier said that Filipinos are vulnerable to drug syndicates because of certain good traits such as “kindness."
Often, drug syndicates would lure unwitting Filipino workers to transport a package to another country in exchange for cash. In a desire to remit more back home, these OFWs would tuck the contraband package along with their legitimate luggage, only to be found out by customs and anti-narcotics agencies in the destination countries.
According to the DFA, about 3,000 Filipinos are currently in detention centers or are facing criminal prosecution overseas.
“Of these, about 70 percent involve immigration-related offenses and these overseas Filipinos, including OFWs, are expected to be deported after serving their brief sentences," the DFA said.
“The rest are in custody for commission of common crimes, including theft and drug trafficking," it added. - GMANews.TV
Joselito Jimeno, Philippine Consul General in Guangzhou, China, said 95 Filipinos are currently languishing in various jails in Chinese territories – four of whom are on death row.
Jimeno said unsuspecting Filipinos are usually duped by foreign drug syndicates, even sometimes through fellow Filipinos, into smuggling illegal drugs for $500 to $2,000 a trip.
In comparison, other Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam have only about 10 to 20 jailed nationals each.
The DFA also noted that in the Middle East, more women are languishing in jails on drug charges than males.
Of the 62 Filipinos jailed on drug-related cases in the oil-rich region, about 43 are female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) incarcerated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The DFA said that it is closely monitoring these cases but warned Filipinos against drug trafficking in the Middle East since these countries have strict laws against the possession of prohibited substances.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency spokesperson Derrick Carreon earlier said that Filipinos are vulnerable to drug syndicates because of certain good traits such as “kindness."
Often, drug syndicates would lure unwitting Filipino workers to transport a package to another country in exchange for cash. In a desire to remit more back home, these OFWs would tuck the contraband package along with their legitimate luggage, only to be found out by customs and anti-narcotics agencies in the destination countries.
According to the DFA, about 3,000 Filipinos are currently in detention centers or are facing criminal prosecution overseas.
“Of these, about 70 percent involve immigration-related offenses and these overseas Filipinos, including OFWs, are expected to be deported after serving their brief sentences," the DFA said.
“The rest are in custody for commission of common crimes, including theft and drug trafficking," it added. - GMANews.TV
