DFA ready to assist 4 Pinoy sailors arrested in Australian drug bust

By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said it is ready to provide assistance to the four Filipino sailors who were arrested by Australian authorities in a drug bust operation last week. Australian Federal Police have intercepted the shipment of more than 416 kilograms of cocaine in waters off Adelaide by US-flagged Safe Bulkers vessel Kypros Bravery, of which four Filipinos are crew members. Police said the shipment was "destined for all major cities in the country." "The Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne and the Philippine Embassy in Canberra, Australia, is closely monitoring the situation of the four Filipino who were arrested for alleged importation of a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs," the DFA said in a statement. It was the largest amount of cocaine ever detected in South Australia, with a street value of at least $250 million, ABC News reported. Representatives of the Philippine Consulate General in Melbourne, the DFA said, were able to speak with all four of the Filipino seafarers who have been charged with the criminal offense. "All four are in good health and are being treated well by Australian authorities. They also requested that their families be informed of what happened," the DFA said in a statement. The Consulate General, it added, is in close coordination with Australian authorities on the case, adding the four Filipinos were individually provided public defenders when they appeared at Port Adelaide Magistrates Court April 1. "The DFA stands ready to provide necessary assistance, including legal assistance, if still necessary, to protect the Filipino seafarers’ rights and ensure that they are given due process and a fair trial," it said. Philippine labor officials in Canberra has also been in touch with the shipping and manning agency of the cargo vessel. Following the incident, the DFA reminded the public that President Rodrigo Duterte "expects all Filipinos to uphold the rule of law wherever they may be." —LDF, GMA News

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