No ‘back to business’ for illegal drugs under GCQ — DILG

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) confiscated some P340,000 worth of illegal drugs during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Ermita in Cebu City on Tuesday afternoon, June 2. | Contributed Photo/PDEA-7

CEBU CITY, Philippines —Several industries may go back to business under the general community quarantine (GCQ), but not those in the illegal drugs business, the Department of Interior and Local Government said Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

The DILG said law enforcers are intensifying their war against illegal drugs to ensure that the narcotics industry would not be able to get back to business while the quarantine protocols start to ease up.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, in a statement, said the Philippine National Police will work double-time to maintain the drop of crime rate, including drug activities, that were observed during the enhanced community quarantine in the past two months.

Albeit confiscation of millions-worth of illegal drugs during the ECQ duration in Cebu, the cops here said the quarantine restrictions also effectively cut the drug supply here.

READ: Cebu City crime rate drops during ECQ

READ: Mactan cop chief: ECQ effective in cutting drug supply

“Habang lumuluwag na ang quarantine levels sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa ay siya rin namang paghihigpit ng kampanya laban sa iligal na droga. The DILG and PNP (Philippine National Police) will work double time in maintaining the drop of the crime rate in the country that was achieved during the stricter quarantine period,” Año said.

(While the quarantine levels ease up in the different parts f the country, the campaign against illegal drugs will also be intensified.)

During the quarantine period, Año claimed that drug syndicates were “paralyzed” while more informants offered the local police information on drug activities.

Año said the DILG will see to it that their momentum on their anti-narcotics activities will be sustained even after the quarantine period.

With “lack of supply” during the quarantine, Año also claimed that some drug dependents have been forced to withdraw from the illegal drug use.

Año called on the public to use the quarantine period to “renew” their lives, distance themselves from drugs and the peddlers and instead use their money for their family’s needs amid the economic crisis brought by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. /bmjo