Executed drug mule’s recruiter gets 12 years

TUGUEGARAO, Cagayan, Philippines — The recruiter of Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, one of the three Filipinos executed in China in 2011 for being a drug mule, has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.

Tita Cacayan was also ordered to pay a fine of P500,000, according to an 11-page decision of Isabela Regional Trial Court Judge Raymundo Aumentado promulgated yesterday.

Cacayan was charged with illegal recruitment after she was identified as the person who purchased Villanueva’s ticket and promised her employment abroad.

Charges for violation of Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act were also filed against Cacayan before a court in Manila.

Cacayan has been detained since 2011.

Villanueva was convicted of smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin, which was  stashed in her luggage on Dec. 24, 2008 in Xiamen, China. She was executed through lethal injection.

Two other Filipinos – Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain – were executed for smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on Dec. 24, 2008 also in Xiamen and 6,800 grams of heroin on May 24, 2008 in Shenzhen, respectively.