PDEA monitoring five transnational and 130 local groups involved in illegal drugs

By Ronron
June 27, 2005

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is monitoring five transnational and 130 local groups involved in the illegal drugs business in the country.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Anselmo Avenido, Jr. said during Monday’s celebration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking that the transnational syndicates include mostly Chinese nationals who prefer to operate in the Philippines because of the cheaper cost of producing illegal drugs here and the lax justice system of the government.

"We have assigned specific teams to go after them (illegal drugs syndicates)… What we do is, periodically, we conduct intelligence workshop, not only among PDEA personnel, but also intelligence personnel from the Philippine National Police, from the (National Bureau of Investigation), from the (Bureau of) Customs. And we evaluate the status of these drug personalities," Avenido said.

The official refused, however, to disclose to reporters the profile of these groups pending their neutralization.

But he hinted that no Japanese syndicate is directly included in the five transnational groups they are observing.

Though he admitted that some of the equipment and precursors used in the manufacture of illegal drugs that were seized in previous anti-drug operations came from Japan, Avenido said no Japanese group is involved in the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs here.

"Their (Japanese syndicates) concern is on bringing the illegal drugs from the Philippines to Japan. And their usual (preference) is marijuana," Avenido said, noting that marijuana is very rare in Japan.

Marijuana is only considered as the "poor second" widely-used dangerous drugs in the Philippines, far from the extensively circulated methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.

Avenido said that involvement of foreign nationals in drug trafficking is very apparent in almost all the big-volume seizures by law enforcement authorities.

As of May this year, he said 11 foreign nationals have been arrested, resulting to the confiscation of 210.09 grams of shabu. Last year, 56 foreigners were arrested and a total of 717.56 kilograms of shabu, 13 kilograms of ephedrine (a shabu precursor), large amounts of other essential chemicals and several laboratory equipment were seized, all with an overall estimated value of P5 billion.

Avenido disclosed that since PDEA was established on July 30, 2002, a total of 32 shabu laboratories and 11 storage facilities all over the country have been discovered and dismantled, resulting in the confiscation of P40 billion worth of dangerous drugs, precursors and equipment.

He also reported that for the same period, more than 70,000 drug personalities have already been arrested.

Tagging the dangerous drugs problem as the number one concern of the country, Avenido appealed for the public’s support in solving it. "Our drug problem is the problem of everybody, not just of the Filipinos but all the people in the world. If we want to address this problem, we should not just rely on one sector, like the PDEA for that matter," he said.

His plea was echoed by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Koffi Annan, who sent a message through UN Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Country Coordinator Dr. Maria Elena Borromeo.

"On this day, let us strengthen our collective resolve to live in a society free of drugs, and let us encourage all our fellow human beings to make personal choices to lead healthy lives," Annan said, consistent of the celebration’s theme, "Value Yourself, Make Healthy Choices."

Authorities have expressed alarm on the prevailing illegal drugs problem because of the fact that nearly 200 million people around the world are still consuming it, around 3.4 million of them coming from the Philippines.

Avenido said it remains a threat because the P300 billion industry as far as the Philippines is concerned continues to draw not just users, but also pushers and traffickers.

Speaking in the same activity, Ilocos Norte Representative Roque Ablan (1st District), Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said the problem thrives because of the government’s lack of political will to impose the maximum penalty of death on convicted drug pushers and manufacturers.

"I am seeking the signatures of my fellow Congressmen for the petition that I will submit to the President for the killing of all convicted detainees facing death penalties… Let us show to the people that you (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) mean business," Ablan said.

The solon said that as far as legislation is concerned, the Congress has been pushing for the inclusion of drug awareness in school curriculum, especially for the elementary level; the possibility of allowing policemen to do wiretapping on illegal drug personalities; the reduction from 50 to 10 grams of the minimum volume of illegal drugs that a suspect should possess so he/she can not post bail; and the advocacy to put up a special court, judge and prosecutor to handle only illegal drugs cases.

Meanwhile, with the intensive campaign against shabu, Avenido disclosed drug dependents are beginning to shift to the use of marijuana, resulting to the increase of the market value of the latter.

According to PDEA statistics, a gram of shabu is worth P2,000 while marijuana dried leaves cost only P25 per gram. The new marijuana price, however, has not yet been determined by PDEA.

Aside from the two, Avenido identified the third most widely used dangerous drugs in the Philippines as ecstasy which is limited to the wealthy because of its high cost, P1,200 per piece.

A new dangerous drug has also recently been approved by the Dangerous Drugs Board, identified as Ketamine or Super K.

Avenido said Ketamine, a liquid medical substance contained in small vials, have been misused and abused by drug dependents since December 2003. Sourced from India, the drug is supposed to be anesthetic, especially for animals, particularly horse and cows.

"They remove it from the vial, and heat it. When the evaporation starts to take place, a white powdery substance forms on the base of the container. This is what the users inhale," Avenido described the process of transforming the controlled drug to a dangerous drug.

The DDB approved the classification of Ketamine as a dangerous drugs last week, and is expected to be effective before end of July./DMS