Pubdate: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 Source: Philippine Star (Philippines) Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2006 Contact: http://www.philstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622 Author: Evelyn Macairan, Edu Punay Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) NBI CONFIRMS US REPORT THAT ILLEGAL DRUGS PROLIFERATE IN RP The National Bureau of Investigation has confirmed a US State Department report that drugs proliferating in Metro Manila are being used by terrorist groups to finance their operations. Ruel Lasala, NBI Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force chief, said the Abu Sayyaf Group has been getting money from drug peddlers for the past three years. "The ASG is also getting their protection money from big-time Muslim groups involved in drug trafficking, particularly shabu," he said. "They use the money they collect from these dealers to finance their terrorism activities.," Lasala said. The Abu Sayyaf, branded a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union, has allegedly been running a protection racket for foreign drug trafficking syndicates. Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered yesterday an all-out war against illegal drugs smugglers in all ports after Malacanang admitted that the Philippines was in danger of becoming a haven for drug syndicates. Morales tasked all Customs district collectors to intensify their campaign against drug smugglers trying to use the country's 15 international ports. "We will revitalize aircraft boarding teams and strengthen coordination with anti-narcotics agencies," he told reporters yesterday. Morales said he was considering reviving the bureau's anti-narcotics team to combat drug smugglers reportedly entering the country. "Our office will also acquire more field test kits and other equipment to detect the presence of drugs," he said. On the other hand, Customs Enforcement Security Service Director Nestorio Gualberto said they have been monitoring all shipments and cargoes from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam, which have been identified as high-risk countries for illegal drug smuggling. All cargoes from these countries will be subjected to more extensive scanning as a result of the US report, he added. "Shabu smuggling is really rampant, especially in shipments from China," he added. But Lasala denied the US State Department conclusion that the Philippines had become a haven for drug smugglers. "It is not a drug smugglers' haven because the government continues to operate against illegal drugs. That makes the supply scarce and prices shoot up," he said. "In fact, 50 percent of jails in Metro Manila are filled with drug offenders." Lasala said law enforcement agencies have difficulty conducting operations against terrorist groups because they are based in Mindanao, where their security is assured. "It is hard to operate against groups in Mindanao because of the volatile situation in the area, they are free to roam," he said. Lasala said the New People's Army has also been receiving protection money from operators of marijuana plantations since the 1980s. Oftentimes, authorities have to use helicopters to locate the plantations and destroy them, he added. On the other hand, Lasala said the country's drug menace could still be contained. "There is still hope if everybody would be involved from the barangay level up to the law enforcers and judiciary," he said. Lasala said parents have the primary role disciplining their children and preventing them from getting hooked on drugs. "They should remind their children that using drugs is very harmful," he said. Lasala said the Philippine government also receives continued support from the US Drug Enforcement Agency. "The US DEA headed by its Country Attache Timothy Teal has been very helpful in the Philippines anti-drug campaign," he said. Lasala said although the government has dismantled several drug laboratories, there are still remnants of foreign and local drug syndicates in the country. "In fact, their successful operations have even resulted in the shortage of supply of the substance," he said. "The street value of a gram of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride rose from P1,000 per gram in year 2004 to P3,000 for the same quantity (now)." The party drug ecstasy, which is often used by young socialites and is available in clubs and disco houses, now fetches P1,500 a tablet compared to its previous price of P1,200, he added. Meanwhile, Lasala said foreigner shabu dealers belonging to the Chinese and the Taiwan Triad had previously smuggled ingredients used to manufacture drugs, such as ephedrine, along with other equipment. But nowadays many of these dealers must resort to using the country as a transshipment point, and the contraband is then sneaked into the country through unguarded seaports, he added. Lasala said ketamine, the tranquilizer drug for animals, is smuggled in from India and China and then processed in the Philippines. "Sometimes they are placed inside vinegar bottles to ship them undetected to Taiwan," he said. From ketamine hydrochloride, a powder is produced to be transported to Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, he added. Lasala said over the years, drug dealers have become highly adaptive and innovative to avoid detection by authorities. They have even used the local postal system and international courier companies to send between 15 to 20 grams of shabu to clients, some of whom are in Italy and Australia, he added. - --- MAP posted-by: Tom