The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Zamboanga City received a memorandum from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) national office seeking the agency's help in monitoring overseas Filipino workers who are allegedly being used by a syndicate in transporting illegal drugs.
 
Police Superintendent Adzhar Albani,PDEA Region 9 director, said the directive was given to all the agency’s regional offices in the Philippines.
 
The advisory came after the DFA received an information that some OFWs are being used as courier of illicit drugs to other countries, particularly China.
 
The DFA considered the information alarming, since some of the OFWs have been arrested for transporting drugs and detained in foreign countries.
 
Both the DFA and the PDEA are calling on Filipino travelers to be vigilant and to refrain from transporting illegal substances.

Transportation of illegal drugs is punishable with life sentence while in some countries like China, the death penalty is imposed.