A Somalian and a South Korean detained at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) warden facility were caught smuggling illegal drugs while in jail.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered the filing of criminal charges against Ali Osman Mohamed, 37, and Nam Sangmin, 42, who attempted to smuggle and distribute suspected methamphetamine inside the facility.
The two reportedly attempted to pass the drug to each other by placing it inside cigarettes.
“Officer Jayson Atienza noticed Mohamed acting suspiciously, who insisted on passing a pack of cigarettes to Nam,” said BIWF Officer-in-Charge Jan Kevin Gomez.
“When inspected, it was revealed that a sachet of white crystal-like substance was hidden inside it,” he added.
Gomez suspects that the drug was smuggled inside food and supplies given by the detainee’s visitors.
“We have coordinated with local authorities to investigate if there are other cohorts outside that might be supplying them this drug,” said Gomez.
“We are investigating how the suspects managed to get hold of the drug supply despite strict screening of food items and supplies delivered to the wards through courier service. The screening includes the use of K9 or dog sniffers that can detect the presence of drugs in packages. We are also investigating the facility to see if there are any other detainees involved in this unscrupulous activity,” he added.
Mohamed was arrested in 2019 for being an undesirable alien. Nam, on the other hand, was arrested in Pampanga in 2018 for being a fugitive wanted for a 26 million Korean won scam in South Korea.
“Drug activities will not prosper in our watch. These illegal aliens have added more to their already long list of violations. Apart from their deportation charges, they will face criminal charges as well,” he added.
