The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong expressed its concern over the number of Filipino workers falling prey to illegal drug activities.

“Nais ipaalam ng Philippine Consulate General sa Hong Kong SAR ang nakababahalang sitwasyon sa kasalukuyan na 22 Pilipino na ang nasasangkot sa krimeng pagpuslit ng illegal na droga dito sa Hong Kong,” the consulate said in a statement posted on its Web site.

The arrested Filipinos were allegedly caught in possession of or transporting illegal drugs like shabu, heroine or cocaine. The said drugs were purportedly either sewed on the sides of their baggage, hidden on book pages, or even in the private parts of women drug mules.

“Ang mga Pilipinong ito ay kasalukuyang nakapiit sa iba’t-ibang piitan dito sa Hong Kong. May nasentensiyahan na ng 16 na taon at walong taong pagkakabilanggo. Ang iba pang mga Pilipino na nahaharap sa kasong drug trafficking ay kasalukuyang linilitis pa sa korte,” the consulate added.

Filipinos who smuggled illegal drugs usually come from Brazil, Thailand, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. The drugs are smuggled into China using Hong Kong as transit point.

“Sa pagsisiyasat ng Konsulado sa mga naturang Pilipino, napag-alaman na ang mga ito ay biktima ng panloloko ng mga dayuhang kadalasang kasabwat din ng mga Pilipino na nagkukunwaring tutulong para magtrabaho sila sa ibang bansa.

Potential victims are often encouraged by their employers or acquaintances and are offered payment ranging from US300 to US2,000.

“Ayon sa ulat ng mga nahuling Pilipino, ang pasimuno o utak ng krimeng ito ay kalimitang mga taga-Africa,” the Consulate said.

The consulate again advised Filipinos traveling to Hong Kong to prevent being involved in the illegal activity.

Meanwhile, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center urged immigration, airport and drug enforcement agents in the Philippines to form a joint task force to crackdown international drug rings that deploy Filipinos as drug mules abroad.

“In the end, it is our own citizens that are put in jail while the ringleaders of these syndicates remain scot-free,” Susan Ople, head of the Policy Center said in a statement.

Last week, a 45-year-old Filipina was caught reportedly with five kilograms of cocaine at the Puduraya bus station in Malaysia. The suspect allegedly received US$3,000 from a foreign drug trafficking ring.

Ople said the drugs were diluted and dried with an assortment of t-shirts found in her baggage. The suspect has been charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1952 which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

Ople cited another case of a Pinay arrested and charged last February in Shanghai, China for bringing in 60 cylinder-shaped articles wrapped in scotch tape found inside her body which, contained 607 grams of heroin.

During the trial, the suspect admitted that she swallowed 60 capsules of drugs but had no idea that the capsules contained heroin. The Filipina claimed that she followed the instructions of the syndicate because her mother was seriously ill and she has many children to support. In consideration of her voluntary admission, the Shanghai court rendered a sentence of 15 years fixed term imprisonment, rather than the death penalty.

Ople said what is worrisome is that some syndicates are now using pregnant women as drug mules, to reduce suspicion and in the hopes that the “mules” when caught, will be given a lighter sentence.

According to the Philippines’ foreign affairs department, around 500 Filipinos are in various jails around the world due to drug smuggling, with at least 200 of them detained in China alone.