A Filipina is being detained in Hong Kong for allegedly carrying illegal drugs into the Chinese territory last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Sunday. The unidentified Filipina was arrested last Wednesday at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly carrying 276 grams of cocaine and is currently detained at the Tai Lam Center for Women, the DFA said in a news release posted on its website Sunday. The DFA said the Filipina told representatives from the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong that the illegal drugs she was caught carrying came from a Chinese now detained at the Para?aque City Jail, who promised her payment to bring the cocaine to Hong Kong. She said she was asked to turn over the illegal drugs to a man who would meet her in Hong Kong upon her arrival. The Filipina has already appeared before the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Court on Aug. 9, and is scheduled for another hearing on Oct. 28, the DFA said. Under Hong Kong laws, possession of dangerous drugs is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of seven years and a maximum fine of HK$1,000,000. The incident prompted the DFA to reiterate its warning to Filipino travelers not to act as drug mules for money. DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos warned Filipino drug mules of “stiff penalties” for carrying illegal drugs into other countries.
