EDITORIAL - Heightened campaign

The past few days saw law enforcement authorities scouring Cebu City and nearby areas for illegal drugs. Few personalities were arrested, including a Nigerian national and a fish vendor who yielded at least P7.8 million worth of shabu in what police claim as their biggest haul so far this year. 

It seems there is now a heightened campaign against the illegal drug trade in Cebu. The police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other government agencies are now one in combing around areas known to be lairs of drug syndicates.

We see this as a breakthrough in the government's battle against the proliferation of illegal drugs in Metro Cebu and the province. The public can only hope for more success of our law enforcement agencies as they battle it out with drug pushers who are now becoming sophisticated in their trade.

To deal a big blow to the enemies, authorities should focus more on crushing the source of the illegal drugs circulating in Cebu. It's those bigtime syndicates that the authorities should run after to score a more decisive win.

Well, this is not to say going after those pushers in the barangay is just a waste of time in the campaign. Street peddlers play a crucial role in the effort of the syndicates to penetrate every corner in the barangay and their arrest would make it hard for syndicates to reach to their consumers.

But it's the fight against those syndicates that is vital to the success of the government's anti-drug drive. Going after the source of the prohibited drugs may entail a gargantuan task. But it's the only way if we wanted to defeat the menace.

However, the government badly needs public participation in this campaign. Its crusade will never be more successful without the help of the ordinary folk, who are an important tool in determining the flow of illegal drugs in the barangays.

Latest development had showed signs that authorities are gaining the upper hand. We hope that the momentum is sustained in order for us to win the battle.