Eirene May Tatad arrives at NBI Headquarters in Manila. Photo by Julius Leonen/INQUIRER.net
Eirene May Tatad, the consignee of the controversial P6.4 billion shabu shipment from China, said she was only on vacation when National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested her in Iloilo on Friday.
In a press briefing at the NBI headquarters, Tatad said she has nothing to hide and that she is ready to face the music.
“Ang masasabi ko lang po sa lahat ng nangyari, inosente po ako. Hindi po ako nagtago,” Tatad said. “N’ung na-dismiss po ‘yung (kaso sa) Valenzuela, nagbakasyon ako (sa Iloilo) kasi na-stress ako.”
LOOK: Eirene May Tatad, consignee of the P6.4-B smuggled shabu shipment from China, arrives at NBI Headquarters in Manila @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/KcKONb3KO5
— Julius Leonen (@JLeonenINQ) February 2, 2018
“Kahapon (February 1) ko lang po nalaman na may warrant of arrest ako,” she added.
READ: NBI nabs consignee of P6.4 billion shabu shipment from China
Lawyer Jonathan Galicia, chief of the NBI’s Task Force Against Illegal Drugs, said they dispatched agents to Iloilo at 4:00 a.m. on Friday after they successfully tracked down Tatad.
Galicia said Tatad did not resist when NBI agents met her at her vacation home.
“She’s already comfortable, her brother-in-law (also) conceded it was much better for her to face the music,” he added.
READ: Court orders arrest of Customs fixer, businessman in P6.4B shabu shipment
Tatad, owner of EMT Trading, was ordered arrested by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 46 for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for importation of dangerous drugs.
Aside from Tatad, the court also ordered the arrests of Customs fixer Mark Taguba, who already surrendered to the NBI, Li Guang Feng alias Manny Li, Dong Yi Shen Xi alias Kenneth Dong, Teejan Marcellana, Chen I-Min, Jhu Ming Jhyun, and Chen Rong Juan.
The arrest order was issued by the court after it found probable cause in the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). /muf