MANILA, Philippines — A former driver of the Philippine embassy in Israel has been arrested after he was caught retrieving a package containing drugs at Ben Gurion International Airport.
The embassy did not name the suspect, who it described as a “local hire of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office” who drove for labor attachés for six years until his contract ended this March.
At the same time, the embassy issued an advisory warning Filipinos in Israel against allowing their names and addresses to be used for accepting overseas shipments, noting that some of the five Filipinos currently detained in Israel on drug charges were arrested after receiving packages containing contraband.
It cited one case in which a wooden name plate with the name of an embassy officer and the words “El Shaddai” on the back was sent to a worker who was not connected to either the embassy or the religiou group.
The embassy said the former driver has been provided with a defense lawyer and visited by a consular officer to ensure due process.
