Mom fears for Fil-Am son’s life after his arrest in PH on drug charges
Orion Alfonso Hamre-Tamayo is in PDEA custody. FACEBOOK
The mother of an American citizen behind bars in the Philippines on drug charges said she fears for his life.
Bloomington, Indiana resident Davina Stewart said her son, Orion Alfonso Hamre-Tamayo, 26, was arrested on May 20 after going to local customs to pick up a package whose sender Tamayo said he doesn’t know.
The package contained 30 vials of liquid THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Tamayo has been charged with drug smuggling, according to the State Department, and is being held in a cell at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency headquarters in Quezon City.
Stewart said she does not think he would survive in prison. She told NBC 15 News she has only spoken with him on the phone a few times since he was arrested. He told her not to worry as he believed things will eventually be sorted out.
Tamayo, originally from Madison, Wisconsin, is a dual American and Filipino citizen. He had never been in trouble with the law, according to his mother.
He moved in 2011 to the Philippines for college and decided to stay after completing his mass media studies.
The State Department said it was monitoring Tamayo’s case and providing consular services.
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