PASAY CITY, July 9—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advises the public not to fall to the modus operandi of drug syndicates, describing also the profile of recruiters working for them and their victims. The information on the modus operandi of drug syndicates is based on the report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“We call for personal vigilance and responsibility on the part of Filipinos who travel abroad. We remind our kababayans that the laws imposed by host countries govern cases of drug trafficking,” DFA said in a statement.
“We hope that this information will help our kababayans to be more equipped in preventing themselves from becoming victims of drug syndicates,” it further added.
Citing the report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), drug syndicate recruiters meet potential victims through casual acquaintances or through the Internet in order to befriend, enter into a relationship and/or marry the victim.
The potential drug courier is lured or attracted by the offer of payment of US$3,000 up to US$15,000 for every successful delivery or transaction. They are provided with plane tickets and hotel accommodations. African Drug Syndicate (ADS) members, in particular, are engaged in the importation of illegal drugs in low amounts at a high frequency.
Drug couriers that have been caught are mostly male. Some are displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are looking for a job abroad. Some have a poor educational background.
However, some drug couriers are also, in fact, well-educated. In their case, they were lured by drug syndicates who offered them “easy money” and the opportunity to travel to different countries. Drug syndicate recruiters also take advantage of a potential victim’s desire to enter into a relationship or marriage.
According to PDEA, Filipinos are the target of drug syndicates specifically for their proficiency in the English language, their ability to speak other languages, and their skill with computers and the Internet.
Filipinos are also deemed by drug syndicates to have an “unassuming behavior” which attracts less attention from police or airport authorities. It is also assumed that Filipinos, in general, have a positive disposition which drug syndicate recruiters exploit. (DFA)
