PDEA beefs up information drive to warn would be drug couriers

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) intensifies its information campaign to prevent more victims of international drug syndicates who use Filipinos as drug couriers.

PDEA-7 director Adrian Alvariño said there were already 689 Filipinos arrested for transporting illegal drugs in different places and countries, particularly China, Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Speaking before the news forum sponsored by the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO)-7, Alvariño said that of the 689 Filipinos arrested abroad 89 of them have been convicted and were sentenced to death.

In fact, three Filipinos were supposed to be executed in China this week had it not because of the intervention of the Philippine government. Vice President Jejomar Binay made a personal appeal to Chinese officials last week prompting Chinese government to defer the execution.

Alvariño is worried after he observed the increasing number of Filipinos acting as drug mules because of the unemployment problem in the country, which the drug syndicates have taken advantage of by searching for vulnerable and potential recruits.

Most of those arrested Filipino drug couriers were caught in China, followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan.

PDEA also observed that the drug syndicates have shifted to using women to transport their illegal stuffs for lesser detection and mild suspicion.

According to Alvariño, some Filipinos abroad who are financially unstable are also prone to recruitment by the drug syndicates. They are paid with huge amount for every successful delivery of illegal drugs.

The usual way of trafficking illegal drugs is to hide them at the bottom of the suitcase or luggage, others are packing the drugs into their bodies, but some drug couriers swallow the drugs and recover them by defecating.

Most of those arrested for drug trafficking abroad claimed that they had no knowledge of the illegal drugs and that they unwittingly became drug couriers. Alvariño however believes that this may be just their alibi.

Fenita Berdon of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)-7 advised the Balikbayans and those who wants to travel abroad to seal their luggages properly.

“Ayoha g’yud nga dili mapaskan kay ang drug syndicates usahay mogamit sa imong kargamento, butangan nila’g drugas,” Berdon said. – (FREEMAN)