A Filipina tourist detained for allegedly smuggling illegal drugs in Australia has been released from jail after she was found innocent of the crime, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday. Maria Cecilia Silva was freed by Australian Police Thursday – after five days of detention – after packets of iced tea recovered from her at the Melbourne Airport tested negative for drugs, an article on the DFA website reported. According to the DFA, Silva was arrested and detained last Saturday upon her arrival at the airport on suspicion that iced tea packets she was carrying contained the illegal drug methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu. Australian Customs officials and the federal police expressed regret over the incident. The Philippine embassy in Canberra, which assisted Silva during the incident, urged Australian authorities to implement measures to ensure that similar mistakes do not happen again, the DFA reported. Silva received a compensation of 5,000 Australian dollars (around P209,000) for the harrowing incident, according to the DFA.
