Shabu prices in NCR up again, says PDEA

The price of shabu has increased to as much as P4,000 per gram over the past few weeks from as low as P1,400 per gram in the National Capital Region, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Tuesday.

PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon made the disclosure five days after PDEA, led by Director General Aaron Aquino, filed charges against 44 individuals in connection with the smuggling of billions of pesos worth of shabu through magnetic lifters.

“It already started increasing again as of late, from November to his month. This is based on test buy. ‘Yung pinakamababa, ‘yung P1,400 [per gram], after dumating ‘yung maraming supply, at nakita nga natin ‘yung magnetic lifters,” Carreon told reporters.

“Puwedeng ‘yung iba, shipped na o na-dispose na,” he added.

Carreon, however, clarified that the increased price does not necessarily mean the supply is dwindling.

“When it comes to drug supply, the law of supply and demand is not the hard and fast rule. Several players are also coming in, and recently we learned about the Golden Triad, on top of the existing Chinese, African and Mexican drug organizations. More players mean fluctuation in prices,” he said.

“For one, the Mexican drug organizations tend to drive their prices lower, and they have to link with Chinese drug trafficking organizations to move their product. Naturally, the [other] Chinese [players] would be compelled to adjust their prices na mababa sa co-player nila sa drug trade.” 

Based on the records of the police and PDEA, authorities have seized P25.19 billion worth of illegal drugs from July 2016 to November 30. Of this number, P18.43 billion are shabu.

On the other hand, at least 5,050 drug suspects were killed in anti-drug operations of the police.

Local and international human rights groups, however, peg the number at around 20,000 including those killed supposedly by vigilante groups working with the police or emboldened by the police’s brutal anti-drug war.

Despite the death toll, Carreon assured the public that the authorities are not only after small-time drug dealers.

“Let me assure you that we are prioritizing high value targets. But that is not to say that we are going to neglect the street-level dealers because these dealers are the ones nearest to our communities, lalo na po sa mga maralita,” he said.

Philippine National Police deputy spokesperson Superintendent Kimberly Molitas, for her part, said the police are investigating all death cases, regardless if they are related to illegal drugs or not.

“What I can say is we do investigate, and we resolve a number of cases. There are those who come forward, give us information. Lahat ng cause ng pagkamatay ng mga tao, tinitignan namin,” she said. —KBK, GMA News