THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday announced the rescue of five Vietnamese nationals believed to be victims of human trafficking as the agency intensifies its ongoing efforts against such crime.
NBI Director Melvin A. Matibag said the rescue operation was initiated by the agents of the NBI-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-HTRAD) as part of its expanded operations to combat human trafficking through extensive surveillance and coordination with local and international law enforcement agencies.
The operation was conducted last August 11 following an intelligence report indicating that a Vietnamese national was involved in sex trafficking.
The individual was reportedly recruiting and transporting foreign women, including alleged minors, to Manila for commercial sexual exploitation.
Acting on the said information, an undercover agent from the NBI-HTRAD contacted the individual via Telegram.
During their interactions, the individual offered women for sexual services in exchange for payment.
After negotiations, the said individual agreed to deliver a woman of his choosing to a specific location, a hotel in Pasay City, where the undercover agent was waiting.
Subsequently, the NBI together with Pasay Social Welfare and Development Department (PSWDD) hatched an entrapment and rescue operation to capture the suspect.
During the operation, the operatives intercepted two Vietnamese women which include the woman offered by the suspect to the undercover agent and another one who has access to the Telegram account that was used in the transaction.
The rescued victims told the arresting officers that their belongings were in a unit in a condominium building in Pasay, prompting the operatives to accompany them to the said place.
While inside the unit, the NBI agents discovered a transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu and three drug paraphernalia items.
The trafficked victims admitted that they used these illegal drugs before every meeting with their clients.
During interrogation, one of the trafficked victims confessed that she had previously been housed in another condominium unit in Pasay with other women which led authorities to conduct a follow-up operation.
The NBI-HTRAD operatives proceeded to the condominium and were able to rescue three Vietnamese nationals, who were also victims of human trafficking.
Matibag commended the NBI-HTRAD agents for their successful operation against a notorious prostitution ring.