By Vir B. Lumicao
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| The cocaine was found inside the hidden compartment of a hand-carried bag |
Two of the defendants – Shirley Chua and Maricel Thomas –also
pleaded not guilty to a second charge of “trafficking in a dangerous drug” before
Justice Audrey Campbell-Moffat of the Court of First Instance.
Chua and Thomas were arrested at Hong Kong airport on Sept
25, 2015 on arrival from Manila ,
for allegedly carrying almost 2 kilos of cocaine hidden in secret compartments
of their hand-carried luggage. The drug was valued at about $2.5 million.
Their traveling companions, Remelyn Roque and Ana Louella
Creus, were nabbed two days later when they returned to the airport for a
flight back to Manila
after allegedly delivering also about 2 kilos of cocaine to two men in Chung
King Mansions, Tsimshatsui.
The start of the 15-day trial was marked by one prosecution
witness saying Hong Kong ’s Customs officers
are wary of Filipino visitors as they come from a “high-risk” country.
The witness, Lo Wai-hing, was one of two customs officers at
the airport who inspected the bags of Chua and Thomas and arrested the pair.
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| The cocaine slabs found inside the bag |
Asked by defense lawyer Kevin Egan what led the officer to
select the two for the random baggage checking, Lo said it was because the visitors
were from a “high-risk” country for drug trafficking.
He also said that the defendants did not look like the
domestic workers who pass through the airport every day.
Next to give evidence was another customs officer Yang Haiyan,
who said he saw Lo intercept Chua and Thomas and seize their green and black
hand-carried luggage.
Yang said it was he who inspected and discovered the four
slabs of cocaine hidden in secret compartments of their bags.
The green luggage and two slabs of cocaine it concealed were
presented in court and inspected by Moffat, the defense lawyers as well as the
jury members.
The hearing continues.
