The penalty in China for those caught in possession of 50 grams of prohibited drugs, including heroin, range from 15 years to life imprisonment to de

The penalty in China for those caught in possession of 50 grams of prohibited drugs, including heroin, range from 15 years to life imprisonment to death. Philippine embassy in Beijing on Wednesday reported the arrest of nine Filipinas by Chinese authorities from Dec. 24, 2007 through Jan. 15, 2008 for suspected drug smuggling.
It said Asia-wide drug syndicates are apparently using Filipinas as drug couriers to sneak in dangerous and prohibited drugs into China. “The arrest of nine Filipinos in Guangdong province and Beijing in a span of three weeks is nothing less than alarming,” said Ambassador Sonia Brady.
Brady advised Filipinos not to allow themselves to be used as drug couriers by “unscrupulous friends” who work for syndicates involved in drug trafficking in China. She said the recent arrests brought to 22 the number of Filipinas detained or investigated in China for alleged drug smuggling since February 2007.
An embassy report said all those arrested claimed they were merely requested to carry “parcels” by friends they met in transit points or in another country who gave them tickets to travel to China in return for payment upon delivery of the parcel to a contact in China.
Most of the “parcels” came from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Vien-tiane, Macau, and Katmandu, said the embassy.
One of the nine Filipinas arrested was seized upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur on Christmas Eve. She told authorities she was offered $5,000 by an African friend of her Nigerian boyfriend to transport 1,000 grams of heroin in capsule form to Guangzhou through Beijing.
“Initially, she was given US$700 as travel allowance, and with the balance to be paid upon turnover of the drugs to an unidentified person in Guangzhou,” the embassy said.