NBI CONFIRMS US REPORT THAT ILLEGAL DRUGS PROLIFERATE IN RP

The National Bureau of Investigation has confirmed a US State
Department report that drugs proliferating in Metro Manila are being
used by terrorist groups to finance their operations.

Ruel Lasala, NBI Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force chief, said the Abu
Sayyaf Group has been getting money from drug peddlers for the past
three years.

"The ASG is also getting their protection money from big-time Muslim
groups involved in drug trafficking, particularly shabu," he said.

"They use the money they collect from these dealers to finance their
terrorism activities.," Lasala said.

The Abu Sayyaf, branded a terrorist organization by the US and the
European Union, has allegedly been running a protection racket for
foreign drug trafficking syndicates.

Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered yesterday an
all-out war against illegal drugs smugglers in all ports after
Malacanang admitted that the Philippines was in danger of becoming a
haven for drug syndicates.

Morales tasked all Customs district collectors to intensify their
campaign against drug smugglers trying to use the country's 15
international ports.

"We will revitalize aircraft boarding teams and strengthen
coordination with anti-narcotics agencies," he told reporters yesterday.

Morales said he was considering reviving the bureau's anti-narcotics
team to combat drug smugglers reportedly entering the country.

"Our office will also acquire more field test kits and other equipment
to detect the presence of drugs," he said.

On the other hand, Customs Enforcement Security Service Director
Nestorio Gualberto said they have been monitoring all shipments and
cargoes from China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam, which have been
identified as high-risk countries for illegal drug smuggling.

All cargoes from these countries will be subjected to more extensive
scanning as a result of the US report, he added.

"Shabu smuggling is really rampant, especially in shipments from
China," he added.

But Lasala denied the US State Department conclusion that the
Philippines had become a haven for drug smugglers.

"It is not a drug smugglers' haven because the government continues to
operate against illegal drugs. That makes the supply scarce and prices
shoot up," he said. "In fact, 50 percent of jails in Metro Manila are
filled with drug offenders."

Lasala said law enforcement agencies have difficulty conducting
operations against terrorist groups because they are based in
Mindanao, where their security is assured.

"It is hard to operate against groups in Mindanao because of the
volatile situation in the area, they are free to roam," he said.

Lasala said the New People's Army has also been receiving protection
money from operators of marijuana plantations since the 1980s.
Oftentimes, authorities have to use helicopters to locate the
plantations and destroy them, he added.

On the other hand, Lasala said the country's drug menace could still
be contained.

"There is still hope if everybody would be involved from the barangay
level up to the law enforcers and judiciary," he said.

Lasala said parents have the primary role disciplining their children
and preventing them from getting hooked on drugs.

"They should remind their children that using drugs is very harmful,"
he said.

Lasala said the Philippine government also receives continued support
from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

"The US DEA headed by its Country Attache Timothy Teal has been very
helpful in the Philippines anti-drug campaign," he said.

Lasala said although the government has dismantled several drug
laboratories, there are still remnants of foreign and local drug
syndicates in the country.

"In fact, their successful operations have even resulted in the
shortage of supply of the substance," he said. "The street value of a
gram of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride rose from P1,000 per
gram in year 2004 to P3,000 for the same quantity (now)."

The party drug ecstasy, which is often used by young socialites and is
available in clubs and disco houses, now fetches P1,500 a tablet
compared to its previous price of P1,200, he added.

Meanwhile, Lasala said foreigner shabu dealers belonging to the
Chinese and the Taiwan Triad had previously smuggled ingredients used
to manufacture drugs, such as ephedrine, along with other equipment.

But nowadays many of these dealers must resort to using the country as
a transshipment point, and the contraband is then sneaked into the
country through unguarded seaports, he added.

Lasala said ketamine, the tranquilizer drug for animals, is smuggled
in from India and China and then processed in the Philippines.

"Sometimes they are placed inside vinegar bottles to ship them
undetected to Taiwan," he said.

From ketamine hydrochloride, a powder is produced to be transported
to Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, he added.

Lasala said over the years, drug dealers have become highly adaptive
and innovative to avoid detection by authorities.

They have even used the local postal system and international courier
companies to send between 15 to 20 grams of shabu to clients, some of
whom are in Italy and Australia, he added.