NARCGROUP IMPLEMENTS DANGEROUS DRUGS LAW 2002

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has begun implementing
the comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law of 2002 passed recently by Congress.

Among others, the new law lowered the quantity of confiscated drugs to
be given life imprisonment as penalty.

In a forum recently, Baguio City Assistant Prosecutor Elmer Manuel
Sagsago told PDEA-Cordillera agents that the said law has been in
effect since July 4 this year. "You can rectify the confiscation and
arrests done after the said date by changing the violation of the
accused to Republic Act 1965 from repealed Republic Act 6425," he explained.

He also said that despite the absence of the Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) on some of the provisions of the new law, RA 9165 is
already implementable as long as there is a crime committed.

In the new law, importation of illegal items regardless of quantity
and purity or any part therefrom even for floral, decorative and
culinary purposes is punishable with life imprisonment to death and a
fine of P500,000 to P10 million.

Trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and
transportation of dangerous drugs is punishable by life imprisonment
to death and a fine of P500,000 to P10 million.

As penalty of imprisonment ranging from 12 to 20 years and a fine of
P100,000 up to P10 million shall be imposed upon any person who sells,
trades, administers, dispenses, delivers, gives away to another or
distributes, dispatches in transit or transports any dangerous drug
regardless of quantity and purity.

If the sale, administration, delivery, distribution or transport of
any of it transpires within one hundred meters from a school, the
maximum penalty shall be imposed.

Pushers who use minors or mentally incapacitated individuals as
runners, couriers and messengers or in any other capacity directly
connected to dangerous drugs shall be imposed the maximum penalty.

A penalty of 12 to 20 years imprisonment shall be imposed on
financiers, coddlers and managers of the illegal activity.

The comprehensive dangerous drugs law also penalizes anyone found in
possession of any item or paraphernalia sued to administer, produce,
cultivate, propagate, harvest, compound, convert, process, pack,
store, contain or conceal illegal drugs shall be imprisoned from 12 to
20 years and pay a fine from P100,000 to P500,000.

Owners of resorts, dives, establishments and other places where the
illegal drugs is sold or administered is deemed liable under the new
law and is punishable under Article 2, Sect. 6 which states that "the
same will be confiscated and escheated in favor of the government.

Sagsago likewise said that with the absence of its own crime
laboratory, the PDEA can utilize other laboratories to test
confiscated items as well as to prove that a person is a drug user.

With the new law in effect, the PDEA-CAR can work individually apart
from the Philippine National Police. They have direct supervision over
all drug cases committed within the region.

PDEA-CAR is headed by its regional chief, Supt. Danilo Manzano
Jr.