Thousands in cash seized from convicted drug queen Yu Yuk Lai during BuCor inspection

A surprise inspection at the  Correctional Institution for Women on Wednesday discovered cash in possession of two inmates, one of them convicted Chinese-Filipino drug queen Yu Yuk Lai, according to Chino Gaston's report on Balitanghali.

Personnel from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) confiscated P91,000 from Yu Yuk Lai and P150,000 from another Chinese inmate.

Under BuCor rules, inmates are only allowed to have P2,000 cash onhand inside the cell, except in cases where they need huge amounts of money to cover legal expenses.

Yu Yuk Lai denied that the money was obtained through illegal transactions and said the cash was intended for her fellow inmates who needed financial assistance.

The cash was seized during BuCor’s Oplan Galugod aimed at confiscating inmates’ contraband such as illegal drugs, weapons, and cellphones.

The bureau said it will investigate how the two convicts managed to sneak in huge amounts of cash into their cells.

In 2017, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said Yu Yuk Lai was “heavily involved” in illegal drug trade even while in jail.  —Julia Mari Ornedo/KBK, GMA News