Drug lords raise P50 M for PR blitz vs lawmen

Drug syndicates have reportedly raised P50 million for a massive "smear campaign" against law enforcement agencies which raided shabu factories in Metro Manila and neighboring areas in the past few days.

The targets are the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

A source at Camp Crame said leaders of transnational drug syndicates operating in the country are talking of getting back at the officers and members of the four law enforcement agencies.

"Their leaders are seething with anger and vowed to get back at those responsible for their series of debacles," said the source.

"At least P50 million was raised for their revenge."

These four law enforcement agencies played key roles in the dismantling of shabu factories in Antipolo City and Pasig City, which resulted in the seizure of at least P3.2 billion worth of shabu and raw materials used to manufacture illegal drugs.

Seven Chinese and a Filipino believed behind the operations of the shabu factories were also arrested during the raids.

The source said the drug syndicates are also floating rumors "to drive a wedge" among top anti-drug agents of the four agencies.

"They wanted to destroy the good relationship of the four agencies concerned so that when in-fighting seeps in, future operations against shabu laboratories have a big chance of being jeopardized," said the source.

However, Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay, AID-SOTF commander, brushed aside the drug syndicate’s threat of revenge.

"We are now enjoying our momentum and no amount of threat could stop us," he said.

Aglipay said drug lords are now "on the run" as he vowed to "go after them wherever they are."

When pressed to comment on the reported P50-million smear campaign, Aglipay said, "I have not received such report as yet."

Aglipay promised to look into the report to make sure that the government’s anti-drug campaign would push through without a hitch.

"I’m not concerned about it (report)," he said. "My concern right now is to raid more shabu laboratories."

Aglipay said a Taiwanese drug syndicate is behind the operations of recently raided shabu factories, which could produce up to 500 kilos of shabu a week, with a street value of P1 billion.

Follow-up operations are now underway, he added.

Aglipay refused to identify their targets or the places where these are located so as not to jeopardize their operations.

"I cannot say what our targets are and where they are located because it might jeopardize the safety of our operatives," he said.

Aglipay said Taiwan police and the US Drug Enforcement Agency gave AID-SOTF information that led to the raid on the two shabu laboratories in Pasig and Antipolo.

A local informant also helped them in pinpointing the two shabu factories, he added.

Aglipay said the shabu factory in Pasig was traced after the tactical interrogation of four arrested Chinese and a Filipino.

Since its inception last July, the AID-SOTF has raided two shabu factories, five shabu laboratories and six warehouses, and recovered close to P100 billion worth of shabu and raw materials, he added.