Jail visitor yields 167 cigarettes hidden in privates

MANILA, Philippines — A woman has been caught trying to smuggle into the Navotas City Jail 167 sticks of cigarettes she had hidden inside her private part.

Vanessa May Adducol was being frisked on Saturday when the guard felt a bulge in her groin, according to jail warden Ricky Heart Pegalan. She was immediately ordered to strip and subjected to a cavity search.

Found in her organ were 167 sticks of cigarettes inside a rolled-up piece of paper that had been inserted into a condom.

“She was a target because we had [information] she would be bringing cigarettes that day,” Pegalan told the Inquirer on Monday.

He said the 30-year-old Adducol was a regular visitor of her husband, Jay-ar Feliciano, who was serving time for possession and sale of illegal drugs.

According to Pegalan, Feliciano probably meant to sell the cigarettes to his fellow inmates. While a pack of cigarettes costs P100 to P120 outside prison, a stick sells for as much as P150 inside, he added.

Possession of cigarettes is not a criminal offense, but Adducol will be held liable for violating Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) rules. She is now banned from visiting her husband for three months.

Deeper investigation ongoing

A “deeper investigation” was underway to determine if Feliciano had conspired with his wife, Pegalan said.

Should he be found guilty, he would be subjected to disciplinary action, such as temporary suspension of his visitation rights and recreational privileges.

Since Jail Chief Supt. Allan Iral became BJMP head, Pegalan said the bureau has been enforcing the 4G management strategy, meaning jail personnel must “guard the gate, guard the purse, guard the badge and guard the life.”

“Guard the gate is about barring the entry of all forms of contraband while guard the purse means proper allocation of resources in the bureau. Guard the badge is about maintaining the image of the [BJMP] while guard the life is about the safekeeping and development of persons deprived of liberty,” he explained.

Last week, another woman was arrested at the same jail after P100,000 worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) was found in her bag.

Avegail Umali, who like Adducol, was also visiting her husband, was charged in the Navotas City Prosecutor’s Office with violation of sections 11 and 15 of Republic Act No. 9165.