Malaysian drug mule gets life

MANILA, Philippines - A Pasay City court has sentenced to life imprisonment a Malaysian who was arrested back in 2010 for smuggling shabu into the Philippines.

In a Dec. 5 decision, Judge Racquelen Abary-Vasquez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 116 found How Eng Pheow, 43, guilty of transporting 9.9 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said yesterday.

Pheow, who was also ordered to pay a fine of P500,000, was arrested in June 2010 after authorities caught him with shabu hidden in his luggage during a routine inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“PDEA salutes Judge Abary-Vasquez for ensuring that justice is promptly served. The dedication and commitment of the prosecutors and drug law enforcers as witnesses in presenting air-tight evidence against the accused is likewise commendable,” Cacdac said.