PDEA: 807 Filipino drug mules jailed abroad

MANILA, Philippines—There are 807 Filipinos jailed in various countries as of July 2014 due to drug smuggling, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said in a statement Thursday.

The government agency revealed the said figure as it issued a warning for overseas Filipino workers to resist offers of becoming drug couriers in exchange of easy money.

“PDEA may sound like a broken record but we will continue to issue warnings to safeguard all Filipinos traveling overseas, even if these cautions fall on deaf ears because some of our countrymen continue to smuggle illegal drugs to make quick cash. The bottom line, however, remains the same, being a drug mule is a senseless act of risking one’s life and future over drug money,” said PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo G. Cacdac, Jr.

PDEA also revealed that there are 34 Filipinos detained in Malaysia for drug-related raps.

Meanwhile, three Filipinos in Vietnam are in death row on drug charges.

Last week, a Filipina was arrested in Kuala Lumpur International Airport trying to smuggle three kilograms of shabu worth P8.6 million. She is now facing death penalty in Malaysia.

RELATED STORY

Filipina drug mule arrested in Malaysia