NBI going after ‘African’ in Veloso drug case

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started coordinating with its counterparts in Malaysia to determine the identity of a certain “Ike,” a man of African descent who met Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia and her recruiter in Malaysia, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Tuesday.

Ike, together with Maria Kristina P. Sergio alias Mary Christine Gulles Pasadilla, has been slapped with a complaint for trafficking, illegal recruitment and estafa by the NBI before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The NBI has identified Ike as an “African national.”

Ike, based on the affidavit of Veloso, met her and her recruiter Sergio in Malaysia in 2010 before she was sent by Sergio to Indonesia. Veloso’s affidavit, which was obtained by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was used by NBI as the basis in filing the complaint against the three.

“NBI offices are coordinating with their counterparts in Malaysia,” de Lima told reporters. She said authorities want to determine the nationality of “Ike” so the NBI could also coordinate with their counterparts in that country to locate him.

The case against the three is set for preliminary investigation. Alyssa Marie Jacinto/CB