Fil-American, 2 Others Arrested By Cops For Selling 2 Kilos Of Cocaine

[Mr Lee]

Dumb, but maybe it is yet another foreigners being set up, as some seem to think every arrest is. :867: MANILA, Philippines—Police arrested a Filipino-American and two others on Monday night in the act of selling two kilos of cocaine to undercover cops in a buy-bust operation in Taguig City, Chief Superintendent Andy Suan said. Suan, head of the anti-drugs unit of the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, said Filipino-American Jose Vastine and two others were arrested in the Market Market commercial center in Taguig City at around 9:45 p.m. while selling cocaine to poseur buyers. The police did not release any more details about the suspect and the identities of his two companions.

[sjp52]

Is a Filipino American considered a foreigner ?

[No name]

A couple of years ago, the chief of PDEA (Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency) stated without any reservations in a paper that they sometimes plant evidence on people they know are dealing drugs but they can't catch them. Of course, I was appalled. Jessie was fine with that, "well if they can't catch them" or something like that was her reply. I talked with some other Filipina and they all had the same opinion. I don't think every arrest is a setup and most of the time the people do not buy their way out of it. There are foreigners with money in jail here. Though one can't forget the rich and powerful family that had two boys get busted for drug dealing. I remembered asking Jessie at the time of their arrest if they'd be able to buy their way out. She didn't think so because the amount of drugs was large and it was in the papers. Later, after the prosecute dropped charges there were congressional hearings into why. Someone came forward to say they paid the prosecutor. They had some documents to show they took money out of their bank account. Congress wanted the prosecutor to voluntarily release his bank records. He of course refused. Banking here has absolute privacy. A bank cannot be compelled to release information to a court. If the government wants to clean up corruption and some do, Pnoy does, fixing this is an absolute must. So yes there is corruption here, as Jessie said this morning about another topic, "no place is clean" and the banking laws make it easier and must be seriously harming tax collections. But no, it isn't always corruption, I don't think it usually is. But with the planting of evidence when authorities feel it is justified, that leaves the possibility of pissing the wrong person off and one end up landing in jail. Same holds true for the death squads in Davao. Though, I think we may have some of that going on in Bogo too. I don't know, probably not very much of that here. Still, I wouldn't want the mayor angry with me. :th_thholysheep: