Cops to keep close watch on summer shabu trade

MANILA, Philippines - This summer, police would keep a close watch on the illegal drug trade in beaches and during fiestas.

Senior Superintendent Napoleon Taas, chief of the police Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF), said his unit is making preparations as prohibited drugs are sold to vacationers in beach destinations or peddled during celebratory events like fiestas.

Chief Inspector Roque Merdegia, AIDSOTF legal officer and spokesman, said shabu may be cheaper in Luzon but expensive in some parts of Mindanao, although the price ranges from P5,000 to P6,000 per gram.

Meanwhile, Merdegia said AIDSOTF operatives are currently monitoring a shabu tiangge (flea market) but refused to give further details.