MANILA, Philippines – Mary Jane Veloso, who was detained in Indonesia for almost 15 years due to alleged drug trafficking, arrived Wednesday morning at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, where she will be detained.
The convoy transporting Veloso arrived at the CIW at around 7:06 a.m.
The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said the aircraft carrying Veloso arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 5:40 a.m.
Veloso will be mandatorily housed at the Reception and Diagnostic Center of the CIW for a five-day quarantine and 55-day orientation, diagnostic evaluation, and initial security classification, the BuCor earlier disclosed.
Her return follows an agreement between Jakarta and Manila, which was announced by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) last November 19.
Veloso was sentenced to death in October 2010 after she was caught carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin at Yogyakarta airport in Indonesia on April 25 of the same year.
Veloso maintained she was unaware of the contents of her luggage as it was only handed to her by her recruiters, identified as Julius Lacanilao and Maria Cristina Sergio.