British Baron's daughter killed in Philippines amid drug war

The victim was known to authorities

The daughter of a late British baron has been shot dead in Manila, police said, where authorities are fighting a deadly war on drugs.

Maria Aurora Moynihan's body was found on the street on 10 September next to a sign reading "drug pusher to the celebrities you're next!" The 45-year-old had been on bail after being arrested in a drug raid in 2013.

A sign reading "drug pusher to the celebrities you're next" in Tagalog and English was found next to the body

Baron Anthony Moynihan was known for links to drug smuggling, fraud and prostitution in the Philippines.


"Witnesses told us they heard a series of gunshots, then saw a vehicle leaving the area," Chief Inspector Tito Jay Cuden told AFP news. Authorities said packs of methamphetamine were found with her body.

A police investigation is ongoing.

Ms Moynihan was also the sister of Filipino celebrity Maritoni Fernandez. Their mother, who once ran a group of massage parlours, met Mr Moynihan after he fled to the Philippines following a string of fraud allegations against him in the UK.

Ms Fernandez called for privacy so that "we as a family may take this time to grieve, mourn but most of all celebrate the life of this exceptional human being I will forever have the privilege of calling my sister."

More than 3,000 people with alleged links to drug using or dealing have been killed since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power, both by the police and assassins alleged to be linked to them.

Mr Duterte, who once promised to kill 100,000 criminals, has brushed off criticism of the bloody crackdown, including by the UN, which said the killings could be crimes under international law, the US, and numerous human rights bodies.