54 Filipino drug offenders in Brazil jails

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Brazil’s Foreign Minister Antonio De Aguiar Patriota sign the Joint Declaration against International Drug Problem and Connected Crimes at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia.

MANILA, Philippines—Fifty-four out of 55 Filipinos in jail in Brazil are serving prison sentences for drug-related offenses, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

“Most Filipinos arrested for drug trafficking by the Brazilian police authorities were caught in flagrante delicto (caught in the act of committing a crime) while attempting to smuggle cocaine at international airports,” the DFA said in a statement.

They hid the substance in their luggage and even in their private parts, while some swallowed the plastic packets containing cocaine, the DFA said after Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio De Aguiar Patriota signed Tuesday an agreement to combat illicit drug trafficking.

“They also agreed to exchange information about their respective national laws to curb, if not totally eliminate, the supply and demand for illegal drugs and the control of precursors and controlled substances,” the DFA said.

“Mutual consultations in multilateral fora dedicated to the discussion of the international problem of drugs in all its aspects was also agreed upon,” it added.