PDEA: Drug trade via mail up

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said counter measures are in the offing citing the dramatic rise in 2018 the number of drug trafficking incidents coursed through foreign express delivery and domestic courier services.

On Tuesday, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino bared the number of intercepted illegal drugs via courier services increased to 35, a 775-percent rise compared to the four incidents recorded in 2017.

In 2018 the PDEA report revealed that mail and parcel interdiction operations in airports and seaports resulted in the confiscation of 94.67 kilos of shabu, 16,713 pieces of ecstasy tablets, and 1,109.5 grams of marijuana kush, a hybrid marijuana valued at P672,161,877.88.

“Out of the interdiction operations conducted, 27 were interception of packages containing illegal drugs that originated from California, USA,” Aquino said in a statement.

Aquino cited the increase to the interception of drug-laden parcels to the “enhanced capability of PDEA personnel to trace them.”

“PDEA remains vigilant to ensure packages containing illegal drugs are intercepted and kept from being delivered,” the PDEA chief said.