LAOAG CITY — Due to the government’s continuing intensified drive against prohibited drugs, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Ilocos Norte has reported a significant drop in supply.
PDEA agent Ricky Ramos confirmed this on Friday during the joint Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council meeting held at the Provincial Capitol auditorium, this city.
Compared to previous years, PDEA record shows less than 5.7 grams of “shabu” were seized in 2018, 10 grams in 2017 and 51,482 grams in 2016.
Among the most notable accomplishments of PDEA this year together with the Philippine National Police (PNP), include the August 30 anti-drug operation in Barangay Sta. Ana, Solsona, Ilocos Norte that resulted in the arrest of a village councilor identified as Ramil Padero Curammeng. Seized from him was a medium-sized transparent plastic sachet containing dried marijuana leaves.
Last Sept. 4, another joint PDEA-PNP operation led to the arrest of Stevenson Cudal Custodio of Barangay San Roque, Paoay town, from whom a small heat-sealed plastic sachet of alleged shabu was seized.
As of this posting, the PDEA has declared 281 barangays out of the 520 drug-affected villages of Ilocos Norte as drug-cleared.
“There is still an ongoing validation as to the remaining 239 barangays,” Ramos said in his presentation.
To date, only nine out of the 21 towns and two cities of Ilocos Norte have been declared as drug-free. These are the towns of Carasi, Marcos, Adams, Banna, Currimao, Dumalneg, Burgos, Piddig and Vintar.
“The scarcity of illegal drugs in the province has significant effect on the price considering that one gram of shabu is pegged between PHP8,000 to PHP10,000 while five grams is priced at PHP40,000-PHP50,0000,” Ramos said.
Meanwhile, he appealed to all concerned authorities to intensify intelligence operation to identify hotspots or drop points of contraband as well as high-profile drug personalities in the province to prevent entry of prohibited drugs. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
