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| The 1.98 kilos of cocaine molded as shoe soles |
By Vir B. Lumicao
A Filipino seafarer has pleaded guilty to a charge of
trafficking nearly 2 kilos of high-grade cocaine molded like shoe soles in June
2017.
Carlito Platon admitted his guilt before High Court Justice
Esther Toh on Nov 27, a day before the start of a nine-day trial of his two Colombian
co-defendants – Cristhian Enrique Posso and Jose William Uribe.
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| Consul Saret attended Platon's arraignment |
Consul Paulo Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to
nationals section, and ATN officer Joel Oronan were at the High Court for the
arraignment of the seafarer.
“Hopefully, (Platon’s guilty plea) would lead to a further
reduction of his sentence,” Saret told The SUN.
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| Platon pleaded guilty to drug trafficking at the High Court |
“Hindi na sila nagpunta pero continuous naman ang coordination
nila sa amin through email and phone. Nagpapabalita na lang sila if may new
update,” Oronan said.
The three suspects were initially charged with trafficking 1.33
kg of cocaine camouflaged as shoe soles following their arrest on Nathan Road in
Yaumatei on June 2, 2017.
They were also initially accused of obstruction when
intercepted by an arresting team comprising customs and police officers.
According to the prosecution, Platon disembarked from a
cargo vessel that docked at Kwai Chung port that day. He had in his backpack
two pairs of shoe soles that somebody had allegedly asked him to deliver to Posso
and Uribe in Yaumatei.
But the officers accosted Platon and found the two shoe
soles, which turned out to be molded cocaine, in his bag. They also recovered
US$10,000 from him.
Posso and Uribe were arrested in a follow-up operation on
the same day.
In a hearing in Kowloon City Court on Oct 26, prosecutors amended
the trafficking charge and applied for a transfer of the case to the High Court
after laboratory tests showed the cocaine seized from them weighed 1.98
kilograms.
The prosecution also dropped the three charges of
obstructing a customs officer.
Platon had not applied for bail since his arrest, but his
two co-defendants did, but were rejected.
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