P2.5-B shabu haul to affect PHL drug supply —DDB chair

The chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) on Thursday said the more than P2.5 billion worth of suspected shabu that were seized during separate anti-illegal drug operations in the cities of Makati and Las Piñas would reduce the supply of illegal drugs in the metro.

"Well, definitely itong almost 400 kilos na 'to, nawala 'to sa market so magkakaroon ng vacuum somewhere on the supply side. Hopefully, nabawasan din ang demand with the effort of other agencies," Catalino Cuy said during a press briefing in Camp Crame.

Cuy, together with Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Police Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency deputy director general Greg Pimentel, National Capital Region Police Office acting director Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas and PNP Drug Enforcement Group acting chief Police Colonel Romeo Caramat, presented to the media the confiscated drugs concealed inside green tea packs.

LOOK: PNP, PDEA and DDB present to the media the more than P2.6-B suspected shabu seized during a drug raid on Wednesday. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/nNsZLNRcIM

— ????Anna Felicia (@annafelicia_) November 28, 2019

Cuy said the DDB is still determining the exact figure as regards the supply of illegal drugs in the Philippines as well as the number of drug dependents, admitting that at present, authorities are still basing the figures on estimates.

"We are still... di ko alam kung may data ba ang PDEA o PNP sa gaano ba karami ang total population ng substance na nandito sa Pilipinas. We still don't know, wala tayong accurate figure niyan," Cuy said.

"Even 'yung ating drug dependents, wala pa rin tayong accurate figure. We are just basing it on the estimate nga. Right now, the DDB is in the process of conducting survey in order to determine drug prevalence dito sa Pilipinas. The last survey was done in 2015," Cuy added.

A Chinese national, identified as Liu Chao, and his alleged drug couriers were arrested on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, respectively. In the first operation, some P2.522 billion worth of suspected shabu were seized while a total of P115.6 million worth of narcotics were recovered during the second operation.

Gamboa was mum when asked how the illegal drugs were shipped to the country. He also refused to divulge more information about the suspects.

Sinas, for his part, said there is a big possibility that the drugs will be sold not only in Metro Manila but also in Central Visayas, adding that drugs in the region are really being sourced from Luzon.

"I think one of the possible downline nito is Central Visayas, hindi dito lahat sa NCR kasi kapag makita ninyo, ang sa NCR nakahimay na siya, hindi na po by kilo, by half a kilo, by 100 grams na lang ang distribution sa street level," Sinas, former chief of the Police Regional Office 7, said.

"It was always the conclusion, wala po talagang manufacturing sa Central Visayas so therefore all drugs came from Luzon."

Meanwhile, following the big haul of illegal drugs, Cuy believes that the government is winning its campaign against illegal drugs, noting that the success could be attributed to the improved tactics of law enforcers as well as the cooperation of the public.

"It's very difficult to say you're winning or losing sa drugs eh. Sa atin, what we see now naka-ano tayo, nakaka-confiscate tayo and what's important for us is public awareness," Cuy said.

"Itong mga nahuhuli natin just shows 'yung increase of efficiency ng ating law enforcement, 'yung increased cooperation ng public na pagre-report ng suspicious-looking people, so for me, for DDB, we believe we are winning the campaign," he added. —KBK, GMA News