PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered law enforcement agencies to eliminate any transnational drug syndicate that aims to operate in the Philippines and prosecute those in cahoots with them, Malacañang said.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) always report to the president on the progress of the government’s anti-drug campaign.
“The president is fully aware of what is happening, especially regarding the smuggling of illegal drugs into our country. And that is exactly what the president does not want to happen,” Castro said.
“No matter how deep the roots of these kinds of crimes run, they must be uprooted. And they must be eliminated from the Philippines,” she said in Filipino.
“That is precisely the president’s order: suppress smuggling and the illegal drugs that are destroying the lives of Filipinos,” Castro said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
She was asked to comment on the PDEA report that transnational drug syndicate Sam Gor was allegedly behind the planned smuggling of 521 kilos of shabu to the Philippines.
The illegal drugs were seized in Laos.
“We cannot play blind or sleep on the job here. Do not stop suppressing and fighting against these kinds of activities,” Castro said, echoing the president’s directive to law enforcers.
“So that is the president’s directive: do not stop, suppress them, and hold those who are accountable responsible,” she added.
The Palace earlier said the administration further intensified its campaign against illegal drug smuggling, with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) recently seizing suspected illegal drugs worth over P560 million in separate operations in key Philippine airports.
Castro said the PDEA reported that the drug shipment intercepted with the help of authorities in Laos and Thailand was bound for Mindanao.
She said sustained coordination among the BOC, PDEA, and PNP is crucial in preventing illegal drugs from entering communities and holding those responsible accountable.
