Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Philippine President Pardons Drug Convict Mary Jane Veloso
Mary Jane Veloso was imprisoned in Indonesia for a drug-trafficking conviction.
Authorities found heroin in her suitcase when she was arrested in 2010.
Veloso said she did not know the drugs were there.
An Indonesian court sentenced her to death.
She avoided execution in 2015 after receiving a last-minute reprieve.
After many years of negotiations, she returned to the Philippines in December 2024.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has now pardoned her.
The transfer agreement respected her Indonesian conviction, while Indonesia left any later clemency decision to Marcos.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted Mary Jane Veloso a pardon in the Philippines.
Veloso returned to the Philippines in December 2024 after nearly 15 years imprisoned in Indonesia.
She was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 with 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase.
Veloso said she was an unwitting drug mule, but Indonesian courts convicted her and imposed a death sentence.
Manila and Jakarta negotiated for years before agreeing to transfer Veloso to the Philippines.
- Who
- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted a pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino mother of two and former domestic helper.
- What
- Veloso, who was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, received a pardon while serving a sentence in the Philippines.
- When
- The pardon was announced on Friday, and Veloso returned to the Philippines in December 2024.
- Where
- Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and later transferred to the Philippines.
- Why
- The pardon followed years of diplomatic negotiations between Manila and Jakarta over her conviction, sentence, and transfer.
Veloso's Account
Court's Finding
Whether she knowingly carried drugs
Veloso's Account
Veloso said she was an unwitting drug mule and did not knowingly transport the heroin.
Court's Finding
Indonesian authorities found her guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced her to death.
- Prison sentence
- Veloso spent nearly 15 years in prison in Indonesia before returning to the Philippines.
- Arrest
- She was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010.
- Drugs found
- Authorities found 2.6 kilograms, or 5.7 pounds, of heroin concealed in her suitcase.
- Original sentence
- An Indonesian court convicted Veloso and sentenced her to death.
- Execution reprieve
- She received a last-minute reprieve from execution by firing squad in 2015.
- Return to Philippines
- Veloso returned in December 2024 under an agreement between Manila and Jakarta.
- Pardon authority
- Indonesian authorities said decisions on clemency after her transfer would be up to Marcos.