Pinoy drug traffickers operate in Middle East, says former PNP asset

DOHA, Qatar -- Filipino drug traffickers have reportedly transferred operations to countries in the Middle East, a former asset of the Philippine National Police (PNP) based here revealed yesterday.

The former PNP asset told Sen. Jinggoy Estrada that the traffickers headed by a son of a retired general from Batangas are using Filipinos to transport illegal drugs.

The asset said Filipinos were hired to carry drugs from the Philippines to Qatar and other Middle East countries.

The source, now serving as an asset of the criminal investigation division of Qatar, told Estrada that he personally led Qatar authorities in arresting in May 2005 a certain Francisco Francisco, a notorious Filipino drug trafficker operating in Qatar.

“I used to work here (Qatar) as a painter. I was an asset of the PNP in Lubao, Pampanga in 2000. I was forced to leave our country after two notorious carnappers, through my intelligence reports, were arrested and killed in 2000,” the asset said.

He said Francisco also headed the jueteng operations in Qatar, on top of his involvement in drug trafficking.

The source said Francisco was deported back to the country but his illegal numbers game operations were taken over by another Filipino, who according to him, was also a native of Pampanga.

“The drug traffickers here are using container vans to avoid detection of the illegal drugs that they are transporting. They are wrapping shabu in big foils and insert it at the lower portions of the container vans (chassis), where they put a hole as an entry and exit point of the illegal drugs,” the asset revealed.

He said the syndicate is also maintaining parking spaces of buildings in Qatar where they could secretly conduct the deal with their clients.

Estrada vowed to look into the claims of the former asset of the PNP.

“This is part of a well-entrenched drug syndicate. We will investigate that,” he said.

Estrada said he would summon immigration officials to explain why drug couriers were able to pass through airports in the Philippines undetected.

Estrada remarked he was alarmed that the Philippines is turning into the main source of shabu worldwide.

“These are well-entrenched syndicates. We have to start in our own country. We must arrest all foreigners and fellow Filipinos involved in illegal drugs. We must arrest foreigners who encourage Filipinos to serve as their drug couriers,” Estrada said.

In a separate interview, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Cres Relacion admitted the asset is helping Filipino workers in Qatar to stop engaging in illegal drug trade.

“He gives warning to Filipinos whom he detected as involved in illegal drugs trade. But he also squeals their wrongdoings should they not stop. He gives them warning, but at the same time he pinpoints them to criminal investigation division here,” Relacion said.

He said some Filipinos, who are arrested for involvement in the drug trade, admit to their crime.

“From the embassy’s point of view, we are telling them to stop because the authorities here have already identified them as engaged in illegal activities. Drugs are a capital offense here and the punishment is death,” Relacion said.

Relacion said the Qatar authorities appeared to be humane and do not recklessly impose the death penalty,

He cited a case of an OFW who killed his girlfriend after discovering she had an affair with a Bangladeshi.

“He stabbed her to death and was jailed (for it). But after being jailed for two years, he was released,” Relacion said.