Thursday, October 19, 2006 Police to probe shabu transit reports By Stephen Capillas
THE regional office of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will look into reports that Cagayan de Oro and other points of Misamis Oriental are being used as a "transit point" for shabu shipments in Mindanao.
In a radio interview regional PNP director Florante Baguio said he will talk with officials of the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on the report that contained the statement of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
In a rare appearance before the Davao City Council, Duterte named a Parang town Mayor Abu Talib as involved in the illegal drug trade in Mindanao.
Talib however denied this in a press conference Wednesday.
"I am denying those charges, these have been recycled and are only made by my political enemies," Talib told dxIF Bombo Radyo in a pooled interview.
Talib said he has no plans to file charges against Duterte.
Duterte also cited Cagayan de Oro as one of the transit points of shabu in Mindanao.
A previous claim was made by Councilor Edgar Cabanlas during a hearing with PDEA officials back in 2003.
The regional PDEA office raided a warehouse owned by one magnate, which supposedly contained shabu chemicals.
Another raid conducted by the provincial police resulted in the arrest of two Taiwanese chemists and the closure of a drug laboratory in Opol town, Misamis Oriental last year.
Bagiuo voiced alarm over Duterte's statement, saying he will talk with PDEA officials about the matter.
"This is the first time I've heard about this report and I will talk to the PDEA about this...we only provide support and the agency is the lead organization in the campaign against illegal drugs," Baguio said.
For his part, Misamis Oriental PNP director Lyndel Desquitado confirmed that the drug route began in Ozamiz City and made its way to the province based on his previous tenure as Misamis Occidental PNP Director.
"Yes I've heard about this but then there are many drug rings operating and coordinating with each other that it's difficult to pinpoint them," Desquitado admitted.
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