Shabu sneaked into the country through airports, seaports — AIDSOTF

The Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) is strengthening ties with its foreign counterparts to prevent drug syndicates from sneaking shabu finished products into the country through airports and seaports.

AIDSOTF chief Director Marcelo Ele Jr. admitted that drug syndicates have shifted their shabu laboratories elsewhere and are now sneaking their finished products into the country through airports and seaports.

"We are coordinating with our foreign counterparts to prevent drug syndicates from dumping their illegal products in the country," said Ele.

AIDSOTF operatives are also dispatched to airports and seaports to monitor shabu shipments.

Ele said they are also closely monitoring importers of precursors and chemical ingredients for the manufacture of ketamine, which is fast becoming acceptable to young drug users.

Since its inception in 2003, AIDSOTF busted 49 shabu laboratories and warehouses and confiscated at least P3.8 billion of shabu and raw materials.

Ele said his men were presently shadowing three known big-time drug traffickers believed behind the continued presence of shabu in the streets of Metro Manila and other parts of the country. He refused to elaborate though so as not to jeopardize the ongoing follow-up operations.

While AIDSOTF is intensifying its effort to reduce the supply of shabu in the country, Ele said they are also trying to reduce the demand for illegal drugs by visiting schools and workplaces to educate students and employees on the dangers of prohibited drugs.

"We are touching base with school officials, community and religious groups and non-government organizations to keep our children and workers away from the influence of shabu and other drugs," he said.

Ele also recruited lawyer Lyra Valera to strengthen the AIDSOTF legal front against drug syndicates.

"We want arrested drug pushers to rot in jail, so we fortified our legal team and hired Valera," said Ele, noting that the lady lawyer volunteered to accompany AIDSOTF agents during surveillance and actual anti-drug operations.

Valera would coordinate with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to see to it that arrested big-time drug traffickers would get convicted.

The AIDSOTF, Ele said, would intensify its livelihood programs to keep workers away from marijuana plantations, especially in the Cordillera region.