Due to the alarming cases of Filipino workers getting jailed in other countries due to drugs, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has enforced Philippines Overseas Administration Office (POEA) to strengthen its drug information campaign for Filipino workers.

The order was made due to the alarming record of Filipino drug mules that are now behind bars in different countries. Just recently three Filipino workers in China died to lethal injection as their punishment for carrying illegal drugs.

Drug mules are those who carry illegal drugs to other countries by means of hiding it in their baggage or much worse swallowing small packets of it.

Labor secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said that the POEA should also strengthen its fight against human trafficking and illegal recruitment.

Those workers who have been sentenced abroad due to carrying drugs claimed to be victims of “padala” modus of some syndicate or from unknown individuals.

“I again warn our OFWs, especially women, not to accept packages from anyone, particularly if the luggage item is unknown. These may contain drugs. If they are caught carrying illegal drugs, they will face very dire consequences," she said.

"Earning easy money through the drug trade can never compensate for loss of life in case of death, or years wasted in case of imprisonment, if any OFW is caught and penalized for carrying illegal drugs," she added.

According to reports, a drug mule earns from $1,500 to $3,000 for every kilo of drugs successfully delivered to the destinatyion country.

The Labor Department, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and other key government agencies are putting in place comprehensive and proactive measures to address the problem of drug mules, the department said.