A former Filipino domestic worker who worked in Macau was given a jail term of 15 years and five months earlier this month after she pleaded guilty in the High Court in Hong Kong to drug trafficking.
On November 8, Imelda G Penascosa, 45, was charged with trafficking a dangerous drug after she was caught bringing over three kilograms of cocaine to Hong Kong on February 13 last year. The drugs had a street value of more than HK$4 million (US$512,307), sunwebhk.com reported.
In early 2016, Penascosa met a Filipino couple in Macau named Jennifer and Edilberto, who suggested she should attend a business seminar in Dubai and try to get a job there from his employers. Jennifer bought her a return ticket on Emirates Airlines.
On February 8, 2016, Penascosa arrived Hong Kong and took a flight to Dubai but she did not find a job there. On February 13, when Penascosa was about to depart the international airport in Dubai, Jennifer suddenly showed up and asked her to carry three cans of chocolate candies that were “heavy and smelly” back to Hong Kong. Penascosa did it and was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport.
Penascosa’s lawyer pleaded for a lighter penalty for the defendant, who volunteered to help trap the recipients of the smuggled drugs in a controlled delivery operation outside the airport’s Customs area but that did not succeed.
In Hong Kong, the maximum penalty for trafficking a dangerous drug is a fine of up to HK$5 million and life in prison. Judge Gareth Lugar-Mawson said the usual sentence for drug traffickers was 23 years jail plus an additional five years for international cases.
So unfair for her. Kawawa nman grabe. Yong jennifer ang dapat mabulok sa kulungan.
And more that candies has strange smell
That happening a lot at the airport, if she don’t the person why take the candies ??? If she know the person even worse !! Not only one can but tree can ,it feel strange ??
If you had read the original article that was in the SCMP, she was given the candies from another woman in Dubai that she didn’t know
Kaya ako maski magtampobeila ayaw kung tumanggap ng padala kaya pg ako umuuwi walang nakakaalam sabihin na nilang madamot at sa airport di na uso ang baitbaitan kaya magingat po tayo sa mga kunyari may ipapahawak pero po pala may drugs na yon kaya ingat tayo mga kabayan
Pasalamat ka dito ka nahuli sa HK kung sa Singapore or China remati ka, meron na rin nakulong dito 10 yrs bago sya nakalaya. Sana lesson na eto sa nga nag dadala ng ganyang bagay kasi pagdudsahan talaga nila ng matagal imagine ilangbyears ka sa kukungan, haisst hindi mo inisip ang consequences ang inisip mo ung perang ibabayad Sau.
Good luck na lang kabayan, God bless you.
Exactly po.hinding hindi tau basta ngttwala.
Hindi naman po nya alam na Ganun ang laman ng pinadala sknya.
Anothee case of pure "STUPIDITY". Sorry,but there is no othee right terma vailable.
kilala ko xa taga lugar namin c meldy , siguro d Nya alAm Na cocain dala Nya , kawawa nmn yang Jennifer siguro ang nang padala sa knya dapat din xa I kulong
My comment is YOU will be 55 yrs old when out of jail. You miss everything better than that kind of instant money transaction. That is good otherwise if it succeeded you may do it many times. Goodluck? Sorry u!
Lesson learned,lucky u landed in HK jail, hopefully u show good conduct in jail minus statutory holidays u will be out before your time.
If she was really cheated by Jennifer then the family should fine that person who sent the cans of chocolates…. And the recipients too. That is if that drugs is really not hers. 45 years plus 15 years jail term… She will 60 after jail term.