NBI KEEPS CLOSE WATCH ON CANDIES LACED WITH DRUGS INTENDED FOR KIDS

Due to alarming incidents that have been reported in other countries, the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday said it will be on the
lookout for drug-laced candies that will be distributed to children this
Halloween.

An NBI source disclosed the tainted candy is not meant for children, but
for more enterprising young-adult customers of some "creative" drug
syndicates taking advantage of the occasion.

He said the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has warned the NBI
of drug dealers selling drug-laced candies to customers.

"It was reported there were the so-called "lollipop-related" arrests in
areas in the US where the candies were found," an NBI officer said.

DEA advisories indicated the laced candies contained either heroin, THC -
the main substance of marijuana or PCP - also known as angel dust.

Citing the report, the source said the DEA found as early as January this
year that heroin had been found inside electronic capacitors in a lollipop
factory in Philadelphia.

The NBI officer noted this was one way drug dealers tried to get past
Customs, in the same way drug dealers here try to hide their stuff in items
like food and furniture.

On the other hand, the source clarified this was not in response to recent
e-mails asking parents to watch the candy their children get because it may
be drug-laced.

"Children are not the targets of this racket, to be sure," the source
explained regarding the e-mails which have been circulating in the US since
last week.

The NBI official cited the DEA report as saying law enforcement has
regularly turned up Ecstasy tablets stamped with the likeness of cartoon
characters.

During the 1970s, the source pointed out, LSD sheets were also printed with
cartoon characters to appeal to the young-adult market.

Initial reports reaching the NBI headquarters I Manila showed the lollipops
reported by the DEA were shaped like maple leafs and Santa Claus heads.

Each of the sweets, also known as "Dro Pops," reportedly weighed around 10
grams and was colored green, red or amber. They supposedly sold for US$10
to $30 each.

Meanwhile, the NBI official quoted the DEA report as saying that lollipops
were apparently filled with heroin were seized at LaGuardia Airport in the US.