The vessel was 10 nautical miles from Zirku Island
uae20 hours ago
A Filipino accused of sexually exploiting more than 100 children back in the Philippines and arrested in the UAE has been extradited, a senior Philippine minister who came here on an official visit announced.
Taking to his official Facebook account on Wednesday, Benjamin 'Benhur' Abalos Jr., Secretary of the Philippine Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), said in native language: “A notorious and ruthless big-time child trafficker who preys on hundreds of Filipino children has been arrested in the UAE. With our cooperation and the help of the UAE government, we will return this child trafficker to the Philippines tomorrow (September 12).”
Abalos called it a victory and "a huge step in the government's strong fight against human trafficking and in the strict protection of our youth from abusers".
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
He also issued a stern warning: “For the heartless abusers of minors, the message is clear: You have no safe haven; wherever you go, you will surely face the law and justice will prevail.”
Abalos did not identify the suspect but Philippine authorities said there were more than 100 identified victims of sexual exploitation. Some of the victims were said to have been rescued in operations in different provinces and cities across the Philippines, including Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces; as well as in cities of Taguig, Bacoor, Cavite, Marilao, Bulacan, La Union, and Baguio.
The suspect allegedly sold pictures and videos of the young victims to foreigners and received payment online. He was arrested following a Red Notice (request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action) issued by Interpol.
UAE authorities have yet to issue a statement on the arrest.
This is not the first time that the UAE government helped in the arrest of a wanted individual in the Philippines. Back in October 2016, the Abu Dhabi Police arrested known Filipino drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, whose real name is Rolan Eslabon Espinosa.
Philippine authorities coordinated with the Abu Dhabi Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the extradition of Espinosa, who was named as the biggest drug lord in Eastern Visayas and No. 2 on the Philippines' most wanted list, senior superintendent Albert Ferro, acting director of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, then told Khaleej Times.
Abalos went back and forth between the Philippines and UAE in the past few days. He first came to Dubai on Sunday to meet with leaders of the Filipino community but his engagement was abruptly cut short after a Philippine pastor wanted in the United States for child sex trafficking was also arrested on Sunday.
He went back to Manila the same day he arrived in Dubai to hold a press conference on Monday to announce the detention of Apollo Quiboloy, who has also been charged with human trafficking in a Philippine court. Quiboloy’s arrest came after two weeks of massive police manhunt.
Last week, Abalos also went to Indonesia to facilitate the extradition of Alice Guo, a fugitive former mayor of a town in Tarlac in central Philippines, who was arrested by Indonesian authorities in Jakarta. Guo is accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates operating illegal online gambling in the Philippines.
ALSO READ:
The vessel was 10 nautical miles from Zirku Island
uae20 hours ago
The MEED Project Awards, regarded as the gold standard in the MENA region since 2007, celebrate the best in engineering, innovation, and sustainability
uae21 hours ago
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor's donation to Al Jalila Foundation will also be used to renovate the nephrology unit at Dubai Hospital
uae22 hours ago
He was a towering figure in education, social service, and corporate governance
uae23 hours ago
For the first time, dates for both Grade 10 and Grade 12 board exams have been released 86 days ahead
uae1 day ago
The outage comes on a day bitcoin surged to levels to over $98,000 and pulled other crypto stocks along with it
uae1 day ago
After years of practicing in Al Ain, Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome, Al Jaeedi decided to take another hobby into action
uae1 day ago
Annual educational fees total Dh40,000, with additional Dh40,000 for therapy services, varying based on individual needs
uae1 day ago