China sentences Filipina to death for drug smuggling

MANILA, Philippines—A Filipina teacher was sentenced to death for smuggling heroin into China, three months after three Filipino drug mules were executed, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Friday.

The woman, who was not named, was sentenced last week the DFA said, quoting a report from the Philippine consulate in Guangzhou.

“She was arrested for drug-smuggling in October 2010 at the international airport in Guangzhou, for carrying 1,996 grams (67 ounces) of heroin concealed in a foil packet,” in her suitcase, the DFA said in a statement.

Although the case will be brought to the Guangdong High People’s Court for automatic review, the DFA warned that China was known for its “firm stance” in drug-smuggling cases.

The woman, however, was given a two-year reprieve, according to the DFA. Such convicts in the past have been able to use the reprieve to get their death sentences commuted.

In March, Chinese authorities executed three Filipino drug mules despite repeated pleas by the Philippine government for clemency.

Earlier this year, the DFA said more than 500 Filipinos — men and women — are currently languishing in foreign jails on drug-related cases.