Marcos vows crackdown on drug syndicates

RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday warned drug syndicates that they can’t escape the long arm of the law.

P“It’s up to you if you keep doing what you do, we will also keep doing what we do. We will eventually catch you. The Philippines is not so big,” Marcos said after inspecting the P13.3 billion worth of crystal meth seized by law enforcement agents in Alitagtag, Batangas.

The drug haul was the biggest under Marcos’ watch.

It surpassed the 1,589 packets of crystal meth worth P11 billion seized in Infanta, Quezon, in March 2022.

“What we do is dismantle the syndicate, whoever is involved in the drug trade, whether they are powerful politicians or the police, they will be investigated,” he added.

The President said authorities were now tracing the source of the illegal drugs that authorities described as not locally manufactured.

“Hard work is really needed. We have to operate, we have to gather intelligence, we have to coordinate with Interpol, we have to coordinate with intelligence and drug agencies of other countries around of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), of Asia, regardless of where the drugs are coming from because this is an international crime,” Marcos said.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government recommended the spot promotion of Alitagtag Municipal Police Station Chief Cpt. Luis de Luna Jr. because of the successful operation.

From July 2022 to December 2023, the government has conducted 36,803 anti-illegal drug operations that resulted in the arrest of 49,700 perpetrators, including 3,284 high-value targets worth P16.24 billion.

Government records showed that 28,243 or 67.24 percent of barangay (villages) nationwide were already cleared of illegal drugs, 6,127 or 14.59 percent were totally drug-free, 363 or 0.86 percent were considered affected by the menace, while 7,268, or 17.30 percent have yet to be cleared of illegal drugs.