DFA confirms 2 Filipinos nabbed in Hong Kong for drug smuggling try

Filipino children light candles outside the house of Sally Villanueva, one of three Filipinos executed in China after being convicted of drug trafficking, last March. AFP File Photo

MANILA, Philippines – They never learn.

Two Filipinos have been arrested in Hong Kong for attempting to smuggle 14.5 kilograms of illegal drugs out of the country, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Tuesday.

“Two Filipinos, aged 27 and 31, were found to be carrying 14.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in false compartments in their suitcases,” DFA spokesman assistant secretary Raul Hernandez told reporters.

They were arrested July 28 in the Hong Kong airport and were bound for Clark, Pampanga.

“The drugs would have had a street value of $1.4 million or around P60 million,” he said citing a report received by the Philippine Consulate General from the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department.

No formal charges have been filed in court against the two Filipinos yet but another hearing has been scheduled in October, he said.

The two, possibly sisters, would face a possible life imprisonment if found guilty of drug trafficking, Hernandez added.

The Philippines will extend the appropriate consular assistance for the Filipinos, he said.

Crystal methamphetamine creates a feeling of euphoria and increased confidence but hallucinations and paranoia are potential side-effects. It has become a drug of choice for young addicts in Asia.

Under Hong Kong law, manufacturing and trafficking dangerous drugs carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine of five million Hong Kong dollars.