THE volume of illegal drugs seized in Eastern Visayas has quadrupled during the first five months of the year, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported.
From January to May 2015, authorities confiscated 2,061 grams of shabu and marijuana, 400 percent more than the 512.66 grams seized during the same period last year.
This first five months volume is double than the 1,062.23 grams recorded in the entire 2014, said Alex Tablate, chief of the PDEA regional office operations division.
A gram of shabu has a market value of P4,000 to P7,000, way up than price of P50 to P100 per teabag of marijuana.
In the past years, shabu is most common type of drugs being traded in the region, according to Tablate. In 2015 though, more marijuana (1,570.74 grams) were seized than shabu (1,030.74 grams).
For the first five months of 2015, there were already 359 incidents of drug seizure, nearly double than the 195 incidents in the same period last year. In the entire 2014, there are 462 incidents recorded.
“The more apprehensions this year is largely contributed by assistance of the Philippine National Police. They have a target of one drug pusher arrest a day,” Tablate told officials of the Regional Development Council’s social development committee.
Of the 359 operations, 94 of these were done jointly with the police and only five by PDEA alone
Among police field offices, Leyte has the most number of raids at 131. It was followed by Southern Leyte (55), Eastern Samar (43), Biliran (30), Tacloban City (28), Samar (17), Ormoc City (13), and Northern Samar (10).
“We coordinate with the police because they are in the community. Our focus is major operations and high value targets,” he added
Since there’s no shabu laboratory and marijuana plantation in the region, traders get illegal drugs from sources in Metro Manila, Cebu and Mindanao. Commonly, these illegal drugs are being transported to the region through passenger and cargo ships, courier service and by land.
The PDEA has been conducting advocacy campaign to educate the public on the negative effects of illegal drugs use. For this year, 308 information drives have been done in schools and village halls. (PNA)