MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that a Colombian drug cartel has already penetrated the Philippines making his “war on drugs” a challenging one.
In a speech before barangay leaders in Pasay City on Monday evening, the President said the Medellin group of Colombia started their operations in the country by throwing cocaine bricks in the country’s waters point.
“We are facing a serious problem. Pumasok na ang cartel Medellin [ng] Colombia kaya nga maraming nakikitang cocaine,” Duterte said.
According to the President, the Medellin group was producing the illegal drugs in old trawlers that were attached with Global Positioning System devices, which the drug traffickers will use in tracing the illegal packages from the sea.
“We are in danger dahil on the right side, ang Mexico, ang Medellin, Colombia, pumapasok. Dito kung makikita mo lumulutang shabu, cocaine. At mahirap ang Pilipinas dahil pinakamahabang shoreline,” Duterte said.
He added: “It would be very challenging to guard the country’s entire shoreline to prevent the entry of illegal drugs. Kulang tayo. So I cannot afford na may isang patrol dito, island per island, ganun kahirap.”
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Tuesday also confirmed Duterte’s statement and warned that the drug cartels might be using the cocaine bricks dropping as diversionary tactic to a bigger shipment.
“Tama ang ating Presidente nung sinabi niya na pumasok na ang Colombian drug cartel sa atin,” PDEA director general Aaron Aquino said in an interview with GMA 7’s Unang Balita.
“Sabi ko nga tatlong teorya ‘yan. Number one, transhipment point, pangalawa ‘yung ating diversionary tactic na ginagawa ng mga drug syndicate o pangatlo nafifeel ng mga smuggler na mahuhuli na sila kaya itinapon sa karagatan,” he added.
Aquino also said the drug smugglers were using the country’s waters in their shipment due to weak coastal defense and the shorelines were unguarded.
“Kasi nga may kahinaan tayo sa pagbabantay sa ating coastline, maliit lang ang floating assets ng Philippine Navy saka ng [Philippine] Coast Guard kaya talagang open ang ating mga coastline,” he said.
Based on reports, around 165 kilos of cocaine amounting to P872 million have been recovered by authorities in the eastern seaboard of the country since Feb. 10, with the latest being retrieved in Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and Aurora.
The Philippine National Police believes the separately recovered floating bricks of cocaine were linked and that international drug syndicates are likely using the Philippines as a trans-shipment point for illegal drugs./PN
