(CNN Philippines) — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is now coordinating with Malaysia in its pursuit of the alleged drug syndicates linked with Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter, Maria Cristina Sergio.
The NBI said Thursday (May 7) it has sent an agent to talk to the Malaysian Royal Police to help track a certain “Ike” and “Prince” who are allegedly members of the West African Drug Syndicates (WADS).
Veloso, in her statement, said it was Ike who handed her the suitcase with heroin while Prince is allegedly Sergio’s boyfriend.
“Parte ng kaso ay naganap sa Malaysia. We seek (Malaysia’s) assistance sa kasong ito. We can only do so much siyempre nasa ibang jurisdiction,” said Attorney Czar Nuqui, chief of NBI’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTRAD).
[Translation: Part of the case happened in Malaysia. We seek their assistance in this case. We can only do so much since it falls on another jurisdiction.]
Nuqui, however, refused to divulge the whereabouts of Ike and Prince but said they have already received intelligence tip about it.
Nuqui believed Veloso is just a victim of Sergio and the WADS behind her.
He added that even Veloso’s travel records showed that she did not leave the country often to be a drug mule.
“Dalawang beses pa lang umalis ng bansa. Napatunayan natin na ‘yung una, talagang nagtrabaho siya,” said Nuqui.
[Translation: Veloso went out of the country only twice. We were able to prove that she really went abroad to work the first time.]
The NBI said it intends to send more agents to other countries where Prince and Ike could be, as per their intel information.
Probable cause
Also on Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause to indict Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao for illegal recruitment.
The indictment came two days after the couple were arrested by the NBI and subjected to inquest proceedings before the DOJ.
The illegal recruitment case stemmed from the complaints of three victims who surfaced other than Veloso.
They accused Sergio and Lacanilao of promising them work abroad even though the couple are not licensed or authorized to recruit workers for overseas employment.
The illegal recruitment case will be filed on Friday (May 8) before a regional trial court in Nueva Ecija.
No bail was recommended for Sergio and Lacanilao.
The justice department, on the other hand, found insufficient basis to approve the filing of human trafficking and estafa cases against the couple.
