CRACKDOWN VS DRUG TRADE AT MANILA CITY JAIL URGED

AN OPPOSITION lawmaker urged the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) to put a stop to alleged drug dealings going on inside
the Manila City Jail and in other Metro Manila prisons.

To do this, Bohol Rep. Ernesto Herrera urged the DILG to ban inmates from
enjoying conveniences such as the use of cell phones, which he says has
allowed many jailed drug fiends to continue plying their nefarious trade
even from their detention cells.

"The DILG should likewise create a task force that would routinely conduct
surprise inspections of all jails in order to neutralize drug traffickers
operating from their prison cells," Herrera, former chairman of the Senate
special committee on illegal drugs, said.

A task force, composed of DILG personnel, could be put up for this purpose,
Herrera added.

"The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) should be kept out of
the surprise inspections since it has become apparent that these accused
drug traffickers in jail are enjoying the protection of some BJMP
officials," Herrera pointed out.

Herrera's call came shortly after two Chinese women arrested for drug
trafficking pointed to a convict jailed in Manila as their supplier of
shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

Chinese nationals Chua Rong and Sendy Tan were nabbed last week in Manila
with possession of some 14 kilos of shabu valued at P28 million.

The two named Manila jail detainee Jason Chua, also a Chinese national, as
their drug supplier. The suspects said their dealings were done by cell phone.

This is not the first time that an MCJ inmate had been implicated in the
illegal drug trade.

Last October, a Manila City Jail warden was relieved of his post after
authorities seized some two kilos of shabu from the cell of a Chinese
inmate during surprise inspections.

The drugs were seized from the cell of inmate James Tan, who is in jail for
illegal recruitment.

A month later, some 10 grams of shabu worth P20,000 were seized from the
cell of inmate Hsien Tieng Chang, a Taiwanese-accused drug courier.

In January this year, MCJ guards also seized 100 grams of shabu worth
P200,000 from a visitor who claimed the narcotics were meant for an inmate
who had planned to resell the drugs to fellow inmates.