TOURISTS INTO DRUGS UNDER WATCH

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chair Undersecretary Anselmo Avenido Jr.
yesterday said they have stepped-up efforts to identify and arrest tourists
who smuggle shabu and marijuana into the country's tourist spots.

"We're regularly conducting 'profiling of individuals' who might be
carriers of dangerous drugs even in small quantities," he said.

Avenido said a number of domestic and foreign tourists have been
apprehended in the past two years for smuggling prohibited drugs into the
country.

Police said they were also looking into reports that drug dealers have
invaded known tourist destinations like Boracay Island and are selling
small quantities of shabu, marijuana and the designer drug "Ecstacy."