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| Cannabis resin (file photo from HK Customs) |
A former domestic helper who sought asylum after overstaying her visa has been jailed for nine months, after she admitted trafficking in a kilo of cannabis resin, a product derived from the marijuana plant.
Police had arrested Abegail Dipatuan, 34 years old, last
Nov. 22 in an alley on Lynden Road in Tsim Shat Sui during a regular police patrol
in the area.
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| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
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| Pindutin para sa detalye |
A police officer said they questioned Dipatuan after noticing that she acted suspiciously.
Seized from her were two plastic bags -- one containing 516
grams of cannabis resin and another containing 501 grams –$600 in cash and two
mobile phones.
Analysis by the government laboratory confirmed that the
substance found in the plastic bags was cannabis resin.
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| I-CLICK DITO! |
In a hearing at the Kowloon City Courts yesterday (Dec. 29), Deputy Magistrate Van Ma brushed aside the request of Dipatuan’s lawyer for a lenient sentence, telling Dipatuan, “The quantity of the dangerous drug is not small.”
She set the starting point for Dipatuan’s sentence at 12
months’ imprisonment.
Because of Dipatuan’s guilty plea, Magistrate Ma cut her
penalty by a third to eight months.
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| DETALYE |
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
However, she noted that Dipatuan applied last August for
non-refoulement, seeking asylum so she would not be sent back to the
Philippines by force. As an asylum seeker, Dipatuan is prohibited by law from
doing any work, whether paid or unpaid.
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| Pindutin para sa detalye |
For committing the offence while not allowed to accept employment, she was given another month in jail.
Ma also ordered that the drug offered as evidence be
confiscated.
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| PADALA NA! |
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| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
