Foreigners in drug raid face deportation raps

The three Americans and the British national who were arrested Saturday in Quezon City along with nine Filipinos for possession of Ecstacy pills turned out to be undocumented aliens, police said yesterday.

Andrea Domingo, head of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), said deportation proceedings were initiated against Americans Philip Glass, 34, Jayson Jeffrey Johnson, Marvin Ducat and British national Steward McDonald.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended no bail for the four foreigners who are now detained at the BI jail in Intramuros, Manila.

The four foreigners, along with nine Filipinos said to be scions of rich families, were arrested by elements of the Police Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO) during a raid inside an upscale subdivision in Quezon City.

The nine Filipinos were identified as Ducat’s brother, Joseph; Aljor Castro, Jovy Crispal, 24; Anton Garcia, 21; Jacqueline Ulnagan, 21; Ana Lisa San Juan, 27; Virgilio Rivas; Oliver Villar, 28, and interior designer Mel Santos, 27.

Aside from the Ecstacy pills, RISOO operatives also confiscated from the suspects a caliber .45 automatic pistol, P77,000 in cash, assorted drug paraphernalia, a Mitsubishi Lancer bearing a fake Land Transportation Office (LTO) registration sticker and an unregistered Honda 250 cc motorcycle.

The 13 suspects were also charged with illegal possession of illegal drugs before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office Monday.

The police also coordinated with the American and British embassies in Metro Manila to determine whether the four foreigners have pending cases in their respective countries.

"They seem to be afraid of being deported so we coordinated with their respective embassies to determine their involvement to criminal syndicates in their country," said a police official. – Non Alquitran