THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) has opened a satellite office at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Cebu inside the Pier 6 compound in Cebu City on Thursday morning.
PDEA-7 Regional Director Wardley Getalla said this was a response to the call of President Rodrigo Duterte of a whole-government approach in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“So with the partnership and collaboration of the BOC and PDEA, we are committed to intensifying our anti-illegal drugs campaign through canine interdiction,” said Getalla.
The canine units will be used to detect illegal drugs smuggled in cargoes entering or leaving the seaports of Cebu.
The PDEA satellite office will serve as a center for the PDEA to easily respond to any alarms raised on the presence of illegal drugs in the port and also serve as a headquarters for any port operations.
Lawyer Elvira Cruz, Customs district collector, said she welcomed the presence of PDEA in the Customs office as an augmentation of the security of the port.
“It shows our commitment against illegal drugs. This set-up is very convenient for them (PDEA),” said Cruz.