2 human traffickers indicted

STATE prosecutors have charged two human traffickers who provided sexual services to underage girls.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Justice’s Task Force on Women and Children Against Human Trafficking said it had filed charges at the Binan City Laguna Regional Trial Court against Maria Jorgia Gadiano and Princess Anne Custodio for five counts of aggravated trafficking for violation of Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Human Trafficking Act in relation to RA 10175, better known as the Cybercrime Act of 2012.

The DOJ recommended no bail for the defendant.

The complaint was filed against the two men by the Human Trafficking Division of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Case records showed that last April, an informant informed the non-governmental organization The Exodus Road about possible human trafficking committed by Gadiano via social media.

The following month, an Exodus employee met with Gadiano and Custodio to confirm the modus operandi. Once the report was validated, the NGO reported it to the NBI, which hatched a plan to catch Gadiano in the act.

A trapping operation was launched a few days later in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development at a resort in Binan, Laguna.

Gadiano and Custodio, accompanied by seven girls, arrived at the so-called “boys’ night” concocted by the NBI agents, where a team of poseurs struck up a conversation with the two to verify the veracity of Exodus’ allegations.

“It was established that the girls were available for sexual services for a fee of P4,500 each, and that they earned P2,000 after deducting commissions from Gadiano, Custodio and a minor who Custodio had asked to “bring additional girls,” part of the DOJ indictment said.