Ecstasy dealer nabbed in Baguio
A FEMALE dealer of ecstasy capsules was arrested past midnight of November 16 in front of a hotel along Kisad Road, Baguio City by anti-narcotics agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Cordillera.
The 18 – year – old lady dealer who is a resident of Malate, Manila was cuffed when she sold the party drugs worth P50,000 to an undercover PDEA agent.
The suspect yielded 15 suspected ecstasy capsules, 25 tablets of Diazepam Valium and four syringes with suspected liquid dangerous drugs. The items were neatly placed in two boxes of cupcakes.
The young dealer, who is now detained at the Baguio City Jail, is now facing criminal case for violation of the provisions of Republic Act Number 9165 otherwise known as the "Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002".
PDEA-CAR in a statement said it will continue to monitor the entry of the prohibited party drugs in Baguio City which is home to clubs catering to young professionals and teenagers who could be victimized by these drug dealers.
Meanwhile, during the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting in Abra recently, the anti narcotics agency said they are taking a different strategy in the war against illegal drugs, asking parents and guardians to take an active role in the lives of the youth to prevent them from trying and being addicted to illegal substances.
PDEA-CAR information officer, lawyer Joseph Frederick Calulut, said Thursday they believed one effective way of keeping the younger generation away from illegal drugs is for parents to do their job well in their family.
Calulut said children with good and responsible parents or guardians have lesser chances of going into the illegal drug activity because they are given proper guidance and attention.
“Some of our drug offenders are young children or youth. When we ask them why they became drug offenders, they said they were neglected by their own parents or guardians and no one looks after them,” Calulut said.
He added some drug users had admitted that they were influenced by their peers.
“The way how the youth think today is different. As a parent, we need to listen to them first to better understand them. Gone are the days when children listened, obeyed and submitted to their parents or to the authorities,” Calulut said.
PDEA recorded 11minors caught with illegal drugs, including two females, from Baguio, Benguet and Abra. Six of them served as drug couriers.
Calulut said to help them in their information and education campaign, they partnered with agencies, among them the local offices of the departments of education, social welfare, and interior and local government, including the municipal and barangay anti-drug abuse councils.
“We hope that with our partner agencies and the cooperation of parents, we could prevent the abuse of drugs among the youth," he said.
The country is observing Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week from Nov. 13 until Nov. 19 as mandated by Presidential Proclamation No. 124 issued on November 26, 2001which aims to promote public awareness on the bad effects of prohibited drugs and to encourage public cooperation in the government's antidrug campaign.