Filipina says willing to help in drugs case

High Court

A Filipina who pleaded guilty to a charge of trafficking in dangerous drugs took the witness stand in a hearing on May 10 at the High Court.

S. B. Cumpio told the court that she tried to tell a Customs officer that a person was waiting for her outside the Hong Kong International Airport when she was arrested on July 15, 2016.

Cumpio pleaded guilty to bringing into Hong Kong 1,210 grams of dangerous drugs with an estimated market value then of $2.3 million.

The Filipina, who married a Brazilian, and has a son in the Philippines, appeared in court to mitigate the sentence to be meted out to her.

Cumpio was intercepted and arrested by Customs officers at the airport when she arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Dubai.

The Customs officer searched her luggage but did not find anything, and then led Cumpio to a room for body search. During the body search they found about two kilos of suspected cocaine wrapped around Cumpio’s thighs and which were hidden in her underwear.

Cumpio’s lawyer also questioned the Customs officer who intercepted the defendant about the former’s English language skills.

The Filipina told the Court the arresting officer did not pay attention to her when she told them about the person waiting for her to meet her at the airport nor of the telephone numbers written in a piece of paper that was found among her belongings.

Justice Kevin Zervos adjourned the case for sentencing on May 23.