PH consumes at least 3 tons of shabu every week – PNP
The Philippines consumes at least three tons of shabu every week, the reason illegal drugs syndicates continue to operate in the country despite the aggressive and brutal drug war by the Duterte administration.
Col. Romeo Caramat Jr., director of the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), said this translates to a weekly 125-billion business for illegal drugs syndicates in the Philippines alone.
“The drugs syndicates will not easily give up this kind of business because it’s a big industry,” said Caramat in a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City where the almost 400 kilos of shabu seized in Makati and Las Piñas
City were presented to the media.
The official came up with the estimate based on the assumption that there are three million drug users in the country.
“In 2002, 10 percent of our population was affected by drugs so (it is a) safe or modest estimate if we have three million users in our country, the minimum supply demand of drugs is three tons per week, 3,000 kilos per week,” explained Caramat.
Police on Tuesday confiscated 371 kilos of shabu in an apartment in Makati City which is being rented by a Chinese national, who was eventually arrested. Police said the arrested suspect was the designated keeper of the smuggled shabu.
The next day, two couriers of the arrested Chinese were collared in a separate buy-bust in Las Piñas City. Seized from them were 17 kilos of shabu.
Caramat said the confiscated illegal drugs were set to be distributed not only in Metro Manila but also in the Visayas regions, based on the statements of those who were arrested and who are connected to the same syndicate.
The official said the confiscated drugs appear to be not part of the tons of shabu that were smuggled into the country through the Bureau of Customs and using magnetic lifters as a front.
“The requirement consumption is three tons per week so very obvious this is not part of the magnetic lifters,” said Caramat.
Officials, however, would not disclose the country of origin and the name of syndicate involved in the smuggling of the newly confiscated illegal drugs but said that the shabu supplies are all smuggled from other countries.
“It’s coming from outside of the Philippines but as of yet, we
cannot divulge where because we are trying to thresh out details on this for subsequent follow-up operations,” said Gamboa.
After tons of shabu are smuggled into the country, the illegal drugs are then distributed mostly from Metro Manila and Calabarzon (Cavite, Lagunas, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) areas.
Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said that one of the main distribution targets of shabu from Metro Manila and Calabarzon is Central Visayas.
“One of the downlines is Central Visayas because whenever we confiscate there, we conduct background check as to the source and since there is no local manufacturing there, all of the drugs therefore are from Luzon and Calabarzon,” said Sinas, who used to be the director of Central Visayas regional police.
New survey
The Dangerous Drugs Board is
currently conducting survey to determine the real number of illegal drugs users in the country.
“Right now the DDB is in the process of conducting survey in order to determine the drug prevalence here in the Philippines. The last survey was conducted last 2015, and based on that, there were 1.8 million (drug users),” said DDB Chairman Catalino Cuy.
“Personally, I think the figure is small based on the number of those who surrendered,” said Cuy, referring to the more or less 1.5 million drug users who allegedly surrendered since the drug war was launched.
“Hopefully, this survey that we are doing will be completed in the first quarter of next year so we can have an evidence-based figure,” said Cuy.
Since the drug war was launched, the government has been criticized for the alleged lack of planning and direction as to how the drug problem in the country will be effectively addressed.
One of them is about what the government should do to the alleged drug users who were forced to surrender. A Chinese businessman-funded mega drug rehabilitation has been constructed but its operation was not maximized to the fullest.
Some of those who surrendered later became victims of vigilante-style executions, triggering speculations that the list of those who surrendered was leaked. Some were also killed during police operation.
There were also allegations that village chiefs included in the list of drug users and pushers leaked the names of their political enemies.
Cuy explained a new data of drug prevalence in the country is important in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“It will be a good management tool for our law enforcement as well as other agencies involved in the anti-illegal drugs campaign,” said Cuy.