MANILA – 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 PHP1 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.
Media Aprederi then stated her willingness to cooperate with the NBI. According to Aprederi, Rani and her Nigerian boyfriend who were in Indonesia were the intended final recipient of the drugs.
Aprideri answered the call and talked to Rani, and after the call ended, Aprederi told the NBI agents that Rani instructed her to proceed to Malaysia the following day. Since she was already apprehended, she told Rani that she was ill and could not travel. Rani's boyfriend, a Nigerian, then called Aprideri and instructed her to wait as they would be sending a Malaysian to get the luggage from her at Soriente Hotel in Manila.
Three days later, on May 23, 2011, Aprideri received another call from Rani's boyfriend who again instructed her to wait and give the luggage to a Filipina in place of the Malaysian. The Filipina who was supposed to take the luggage did not arrive however and her handler, Rani, called Aprederi and tried to convince her to go to Malaysia for increased pay but Aprederi told her she could not leave as she was still sick.
Rani later called Aprideri again and said a new contact who turned out to be Ziontkowska who was arriving from Dublin, Ireland to receive the package.
NBI operatives then planned on May 25 a controlled delivery operation to apprehend the recipient of the dangerous drugs and arrested her in the act of receiving the luggage. (PNA)
