Drug dealers use new faces – PDEA

BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO

ILOILO City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has unmasked a new strategy of drug dealers following the successful drug operation on June 9 in Bacolod City.

Drug dealers are now forced to use new personalities to conceal their movements while delivering and trading illegal drugs, PDEA regional director Paul Ledesma said.

Ledesma said the P7-million worth of shabu seized in Bacolod City really affected the drug trade, “thus drug dealers have resorted to other strategies to recoup their losses.”

“We received reports that drug dealers are now using new faces who have no records and not included in our watch list so we could not trace their operation. But I have already informed my men and our contacts to monitor and get the names of these new drug personalities,” Ledesma told Panay News.

The regional director added that he has his contact in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City to monitor the new faces who would visit drug dealers inside.

Ledesma earlier revealed that the transaction of the P7-million worth of shabu was done inside the New Bilibid Prison.

PDEA seized one kilo of shabu from suspect Edgardo Justo, 36, at a mall parking lot. It was so far the biggest volume of illegal drugs recovered this year.

Justo claimed the package from a courier company’s outlet in the mall.

It contained 22 sachets of shabu hidden in the soles of sandals and shoes, which he tried to sell to an undercover PDEA agent.

Meanwhile, Director Ledesma told Panay News managing editor Herbert Vego yesterday that some 45 delegates from Asia-Pacific countries would be coming to Iloilo City, host of the convention of the Asia-Pacific Information Coordinating Center (APICC) on July 1 and 2, where they would discuss ways and means to combat drug crimes.

Ledesma will announce a more detailed information on the matter as soon as possible./PN