A huge problem

THE REPORT that a former city jail warden was positive for using illegal drugs was a no surprise, but this also shows how problematic the country has become in terms of the use of illegal substances.

Over the weekend, the city police office reported that a result of a random test, a top jail official who once served as warden of the city jail in Ma-a was found positive for using illegal drugs. The official was one of the 10 individuals, nine of them inmates who were found positive for using illegal drugs.

The test was conducted as a result of a jail riot that, based on the police report, killed four inmates and wounded four police officers after one of the inmates fired an improvised gun on the law enforcers who were searching for illegal drugs inside the cells.

The irony was the incident took place a year after government agencies declared the jail as among the drug-free establish-

ments in the region.

In view of this incident, there is a need for law enforcement agencies to double their efforts in ridding their ranks of scalawags, they be involved in illegal drugs trade or other criminal activities, to ensure that the fight against illegal drugs will at least have a dent.

The fight against illegal drugs will not be won unless those who are tasked to do the fighting are not only true to their goal, but are also not part of the problem.

So, unless the number of scalawags within the ranks of law enforcers is reduced to the barest minimum, then success in the fight will continue to be elusive.