The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the sentence imposed on a Polish national for receiving more than three kilograms of shabu from an Indonesian contact 10 years ago.
In its 37-page decision dated December 14 and written by Associate Justice Angelene Mary Q. Quimpo-Sale, the CA’s First Division affirmed the decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 53 finding Barbara Ewa Ziontkowska guilty of transporting dangerous drugs and sentencing her to life imprisonment and a fine of P1 million.
Ziontkowska, 48, was arrested in an entrapment operation at the Soriente Hotel, in Manila in May 2011 which came days after the arrest of Media Aprideri, an Indonesian national and a suspected member of the West African Drug Syndicate.
The Polish national had flown into Manila from Dublin, Ireland where she worked after the recipients of the drug package from Aprideri were not able to show up.
Aprideri had been arrested on May 19, 2011, by the NBI – Reaction, Arrest Interdiction Division (NBI-RAID) following information relayed to Philippine law enforcers from the Dubai Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) that she was transporting a huge quantity of shabu from Africa. Aprideri had a connecting flight in Dubai going to the Philippines.
At the NBI’s airport office, they requested Aprideri’s permission for the K-9 dogs to sniff her luggage, to which she agreed.
The dogs came in and sat down on the luggage, signifying the presence of dangerous drugs. Upon the officer’s request, Aprederi opened the luggage and emptied its contents, and discovered, hidden in the lining of the luggage, two (2) envelopes containing substances later confirmed to be shabu.
While being investigated by the NBI, Aprideri’s cellular phone rang, and when asked who was calling her, she told them it was her friend Rani from Indonesia who sent her to Africa to get the substance she brought to the Philippines.
