Pubdate: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 Source: Malaya (Philippines) Copyright: 2006 People's Independent Media Inc Contact: http://www.malaya.com.ph Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3826 Author: Gina Peralta-Elorde Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUGS CHIEF WANTS MORE CONVICTIONS Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) chief Director Marcelo Ele yesterday vowed to intensify their anti-illegal drugs operations and bat for more convictions of arrested illegal drugs manufactures and traffickers. Ele said he wanted drug traffickers and manufactures to languish in jail to ensure the total eradication of the social menace in the country. "We make arrests in order to convict. Body counts are nothing if our arrests would not lead to eventual conviction," Ele said. "The real battle is in the courtrooms. All our actions should therefore be geared toward that battle," he added. According to the AID-SOTF personnel, a total of seven shabu laboratories and five big storage facilities were raided by police teams from January to November last year. The combined production capacity of the 12 shabu facilities raided by the AID-SOTF was estimated to be worth around P 2.427 billion. "It was indeed a killing blow and the drugs that were intended to be distributed in the market level never left the production stage, thus, making the prices of drugs go to an upswing," Ele pointed out. Second to shabu, Ele said marijuana remains to be the favorite among many Filipino drug users. The AID-SOTF accounted for four marijuana eradication operations mostly in the highlands of Cordillera which led to the seizure of around 132.85 kilograms of marijuana bricks amounting to some P 636 million. During the same period, the AID-SOTF arrested 14,540 suspected drug pushers and users while they were able to clear a total of 8,341 drug-affected barangays in the different parts of the country. After 60 percent of the shabu supply in the country had been "neutralized" by government teams, Ele said the AID-SOTF shifted its focus to raiding marijuana plantations as they expect drug addicts to resort to marijuana use as a result of the high street price of shabu. Earlier, some P 305 million worth of marijuana plants and seeds were confiscated during a week-long marijuana eradication operation in Kalinga province in Feb. 26 of last year. Eleven hectares of marijuana plantations were discovered in Mt. Ditolyayongan, Tinglayan town. Aside from the one million marijuana plants worth P282 million that were uprooted in the area, some 50 kilos of dried marijuana seeds worth P1.25 million and 1,085 kilos of marijuana bricks worth P 21.7 million were also seized by authorities. Another vast marijuana plantation worth around P 70 million was also destroyed in Mt. Nacmy in Ilocos Sur in Jan. 20 of last year. AID-SOTF agents also seized $3.2 million worth of Ketamine, also known as "party drug," during a raid in Malate, Manila in March 23. Ele said Ketamine is fast becoming a lucrative business for drug trafficking syndicates. He, however, said Ketamine - which was originally created as a human anesthetic - was only included in the list of dangerous drugs in the country in Oct. 1 last year based on Dangerous Drugs Board Resolution 3 series of 2005. "It is fast becoming popular among teenagers who are drug users for it gives 30 to 60 minutes of 'high' or hallucinations." - --- MAP posted-by: Tom