CONTRARY to claims of the provincial police, Pangasinan is still the major transhipment point of drug syndicates for shabu before reaching drug dealers in Region 1.

The claims of the provincial police that illegal drugs trafficking in Pangasinan are contained are belied by a report to Dangerous Drugs Board Chairman Antonio Villar Jr. by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirming findings that the bulk of the shabu supply transported from Metro Manila and Cavite, continue to be transported to Pangasinan before being parceled out to dealers in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Baguio City.

MINORS AS MULES

The report also said that the syndicates increasingly use minors in the illegal drug trade in Pangasinan exploiting the coverage of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act (RA9344) that exempts minors from criminal offense, making them convenient dispensers of the illegal drug.

PDEA also reported that Pangasinan has the most number of pending drug cases in the region although it pointed out that this may be due to the province having the biggest population, the highest number of target municipalities, and aggravated by the continued absence of drug courts to accommodate the increasing number of cases filed.

However, the PDEA report said there are no confirmatory reports or other critical indicators pointing to the existence of clandestine drug laboratories in Pangasinan.

As of March 26, combined elements of PDEA and other law enforcement agencies have so far conducted 20 anti-illegal drug operations for the year, but nothing was specified on the number of operations in Pangasinan—Eva Visperas

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