TO FURTHER strengthen the drug war and intercept those personalities who would attempt to smuggle illegal drugs in the region, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-Davao Region) bared that an anti-illegal drug task force in airports and seaports has been established.

PDEA Davao Regional Director Antonio Rivera said they are in constant coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Customs to beef up security measures to counter the entry of illegal drugs in Davao City through the Airport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (Airport-IADITG) designed to focus interdicting illegal drugs.

Rivera said that there are some drug personalities who would smuggle contraband through courier services.

“I would like to announce that our Airport Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force was already established. Wherein, PDEA, Avsecom (Aviation Security Command) and other law enforcement agencies converged to focus on the entry of illegal drugs through the airport,” he said.

To prevent the establishment of clandestine operations here, Rivera cited that they are focusing on foreign nationals who are visiting the city and will try to put up illegal drug business.

“In our seaports, we also established anti-illegal drug task force. These are the two points of entry in Davao city - airport and seaport aside from the land entrance. We are focusing on that,” he said.

These task groups were established last August 13 in the city and since then, nobody has been apprehended yet for possession of illegal substance, as he said due to fear.

He added that anti-illegal task group also plans to purchase an x-ray machine to detect organic substances in the airports similar in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for efficient inspection.