COPS SHOULD NOT SETTLE WITH JUST THE ‘SMALL FRIES’

PROOF that illegal drug trafficking in Iloilo City – and most likely Iloilo Province, too – remains alive and kicking is the estimated P10.2-million worth of shabu confiscated in Barangay Sto. Rosario, Iloilo City on March 7.

The seized shabu weighed 1.5 kilos. Susmaryosep! Had this been sold to drug users, imagine kun pila ka gatos ukon linibo ka mga Ilonggo addicts ang mahithit sini! Haslo!

Two men were arrested. The police classified them as “high-value” drug dealers.

But they were just street-level players. The police’s campaign against illegal drugs, particularly when focusing only on street-level pushers and their runners, addresses only the surface of a much complex problem.

While apprehending small-scale dealers can disrupt the availability of shabu at the community level and serve as a deterrent to some extent, it does not tackle the root causes of the shabu trade or significantly impact the overall drug market.

Antidrug operations would be more impactful if the sources are targeted. Shabu distribution networks are highly complex and organized. Focusing solely on the lower levels of these networks does little to disrupt the broader infrastructure that supports and facilitates the drug trade.

The Police Regional Office 6 should recognize that the illegal drug market is highly resilient. When street-level dealers are arrested, they are often quickly replaced by others due to the high demand for drugs and the lucrative nature of the trade.

This “replacement effect” means that simply arresting small-time dealers does little to reduce drug availability in the long term. Tarso!

Say General Wanky?