La Union – Slowly but steadily, the girdle of drug activities by the merchants of death who have besieged Ilocandia region for years is being chipped by the relentless onslaught of law enforcement, boding well for Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Region 1’s (PDEA –R1) hope of the region being drug free this 2017.
Such assessment is indicated in the PDEA-R1 2016 year-end report released last Wednesday, on the eradication of drug trafficking in the lowlands whose tentacles have snaked into the boundaries of Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), meshing with illegal drug activities in the highland region.
According to the report, drug trafficking has become one of the major criminal activities of organized crime groups in Region 1 and CAR that plan, operate and control the deals across boundaries of the two adjacent regions.
Trans-border drug crime is one area closely being looked into by all law enforcement in both CAR and R1 as illicit drug markets do not respect any borders, and their nature requires effective and strong enforcement mechanisms to suppress the problem, PDEA-R1 said.
To promote closer participation and assistance, the report disclosed that PDEA –R1 conducted a total of 362 lectures across Ilocos region participated in by over 12,136 individuals. The information drive covered schools, private establishments, and barangays.
“Our motives are to help mold people and their communities. That is why we reach out as much as we can,” PDEA-R1 director Jeofrey Tacio emphasized.
Community participation and assistance are two of the anti-drug strategies fostered by Region 1 to restrict drug supply.
As of this year’s end, PDEA-R1 raked in 226 successful narcotics operations and 271 arrests in the region.
In the anti-drug sweep, 27 notorious drug peddlers were killed, 6 wanted criminals, 6 government officials, 2 foreign nationals and 13 elected officials were caught and incarcerated. At the same time, marijuana planting in the tri-boundaries of Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Benguet was disrupted as 386.9 kilos of full-grown plants amounting to Php 19,342,465 were confiscated and destroyed, aside from 389,530 ready-to-plant seedlings and 264 grams of marijuana seeds destroyed immediately upon discovery in the tri-boundaries. The drive also netted 2.2 kilos of shabu valued at Php31 million.
As a result of the anti-drug operations, PDEA-R1 won a commendation for having the highest percentage of arrested elected officials engaged in illegal drugs by instigating action that surpassed operational targets.
The Ilocos Sur, La Union and Benguet cross-border dimension of drug trafficking have galvanized PDEA-R1 regional director Jeoffrey Tacio who said, “ We believe that the new year would offer more opportunities of cleansing Ilocandia from narcotics scourge.”
On the other hand, Tacio acknowledged the joint efforts extended by other law enforcement offices, citing in particularly “the substantial efforts in the past year could not have been possible without collaborative efforts of partners like Police Regional Office 1 and its provincial offices, headed by Police Supt. Gregorio Pimentel.”
In realizing that the ultimate success in the eradication of drug crimes requires determined, effective and coordinated action, the year-end report said PDEA-R1 accords very high priority to cooperation and close links with neighboring partners, like those of CAR and elsewhere.
By Bismarck Bengwayan
