MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has the authority, as the "architect of foreign policy", to provide comfort to two Russian drug suspects accused of trying cocaine into the country, his spokesman said. Earlier this week, Duterte told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that two alleged Russian drug smugglers detained by Philippine authorities will get a fair trial and "will be detained in a comfortable house." In their bilateral meeting late Tuesday night, Duterte told the Russian prime minister that the criminal cases of two Russian nationals are still under investigation. The Duterte administration's crackdown against the illegal drug trade has alarmed the international community due to the spate of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects. RELATED: Philippines on call to end drug war deaths: Look who's talking

Source: Philippine Star November 16, 2017 01:52 UTC