Some ship crew members plying drug trade, says PDEA

Port areas are usual targets for surveillance by  drug enforcement agencies as entry points of illegal drugs.

But authorities said they noticed a new modus of  slipping in narcotics.

Some crew members  in passenger and commercial vessels pass on small packets of drugs  to fellow employees.

This trend was reported yesterday by the  Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) during  yesterday’s meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council at the Capitol social hall.

No shipping lines were identified, however.

Analyn Hernandez, PDEA-7 administrative officer said they are closely monitoring seaports and other entry points in the country for illegal drugs.

She said the mode of concealment and packaging depended on the size.

Drugs were camouflaged. Some couriers would seal it with packaging tape in products common to households like milk formula, junk food, stereo speakers, cans and even the wrappers of chochocolate candy.

Shabu remains the most abused drug, followed by marijuana.

“Monitoring of the shipment of drugs becomes very difficult. Philippines is an archipelago and also we have various interisland vessels which makes close monitoring very difficult to do,” she said.

In the first quarter of the year, the PDEA-7 confiscated 663.11 kilograms of shabu, 333,380 marijuana plants and 40,000 marijuana seedlings.

“Marijuana is prevalent because of its affordability and availability,” she said.

Hernandez said the international value of shabu per kilo costs $73,800 or P3,000,285.

Hernandez said the PDEA-7 also arrested two barangay officials and one government employee on drug charges in the first quarter of this year.

Those arrested were Lando Rasonable, a municipal employee of Jimalalud town in Negros Oriental last January 19 and barangay councilmen Wenceslao Ramonida, and Elmer Casalta of Bohol province.

Local elected officials and law enforcement agencies also agreed in yesterday’s meeting to intensify their crackdown on drug trafficking syndicates operating in Central Visayas even behind prison walls.

Inspected

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said he ordered the strict enforcement of security at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) following reports that the families of inmates bring drugs to them during their visits.

“There was this report nga ang pamilya o amigo daw sa napriso mao’y magdala og druga para nila, dapat inspeksyonon gyud sa dili pa kasulod sa prisohan (that the family or friend of a detainee will bring the drugs to them. They should be inspected even before entering the jail),” the governor said.

A raid done at the CPDRC in July last year yielded drug paraphernalia.

At least six guards were investigated on allegations of involvement in the illegal drug trade inside the jail premises.

In related news, two women and a man were arrested in a drug bust in barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City last Wednesday evening.

Custody

Mildred Mabuyo and her 39-year-old sister Susana Mabuyo with their friend Joshua Sagarino were taken to custody pending the filing of charges against them at the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office.

Taken from Milderd Mabuyo’s possession were two medium size packs and eight small sachets of shabu, P500 in proceeds and the P200 marked money. The shabu is worth P60,000.

In barangay Tugbongan, Consolacion town, agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-7) arrested a suspected drug pusher identified as Alex Tumongha last Wednesday evening.

Taken from Tumongha’s possession were shabu worth over P100,000, one .38 revolver and ammunition. Supt. Fermin Armendarez, CIDG-7 chief, said most of Tumongha’s customers are habal-habal drivers./Cebu Normal University Intern Jhun Ardy Rollo and Siliman University Intern Kateleen Marie C. Ogabang