MANILA, Philippines -- There are at least 40 Filipinos, mostly women, currently incarcerated in Brazil for drug offenses, according to Brazilian Ambassador to the Philippines Alcides G.R. Prates.
However, Ambassador Prates, speaking with reporters at the sidelines of the diplomatic reception for newly appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario Monday night in Makati, pointed out that these Filipinos are facing shorter jail terms ranging from 3 to 4 years.
Capital punishment was last used as a form of punishment in Brazil in 1876, and has not been officially used since the proclamation of the Republic in 1889. Brazil was the second country in the Americas to abolish this form of punishment, preceded by Costa Rica on 1859.
Records showed that between January to October the previous year alone, 15 Filipinos, 13 of them are women, were arrested in Brazil for drug offenses.
The most recent was in Aug. 19 when a Filipina was arrested at the Guarulhos International Airport by Brazilian Federal Police for possessing five kilos of cocaine contained in 15 bags hidden in her luggage with false bottoms.
The predominance of women indicates the continuing operations of international syndicates using them as drug mules despite the government's anti-drug campaign.
Authorities warned anew the heavy penalties imposed by other countries on anyone caught with illegal substances.
On the contrary, Ambassador Prates said there is only one Brazilian jailed in the Philippines serving a seven-year term for possession of 150 grams of marijuana.
Brazil has emerged as the most important new player in the international narcotics trade, with a role in every stage of the drug chain, from production to consumption.
The reasons for the traffickers to desire Brazil as its transit country choice are quite clear: Brazil is so big, it is easy to elude pursuers, it has markets to the entire world, and it has consumers.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) tags Brazil to be particularly vulnerable to trafficking due to its proximity to the main drug-producing countries in Latin America
