A Filipino migrant worker has been arrested in Roxas, Isabela province, Philippines, for her alleged involvement in a large-scale illegal recruitment scheme.
According to Roxas Police, Joanna Bedania Abrera, 48, had spent years in hiding overseas, The Filipino Times reported.
Abrera had returned to the Philippines for a vacation when police arrested her in Sitio Caragsakan, Barangay Rizal. Engelbert Bunugan, Roxas Police chief inspector, said Abrera had eluded arrest for years as she was hiding overseas.
Bunugan said the authorities took advantage of Abrera’s vacation in the Philippines and immediately issued an arrest warrant against her.
Abrera is in custody and facing charges for her involvement in the recruitment scheme, though the report did not provide specific details on what she was actually accused of doing.
In the Philippines the penalty for illegal recruitment is a jail term of 12 to 20 years and a fine between 1 million and 2 million pesos (US$18,400 to $36,800).