Pubdate: Fri, 06 Jan 2006
Source: Philippine Star (Philippines)
Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2006
Contact:  http://www.philstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622
Author: Edu Punay
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

CUSTOMS CHIEF ORDERS INTENSIFIED DRIVE VS ILLEGAL DRUG SHIPMENTS

They shall not pass - through our ports, that is.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales ordered all offices of his
bureau yesterday to intensify their campaign against illegal drug
syndicates that may try to use the country's 15 international ports to
smuggle in their drug shipments.

In an order addressed to all district collectors, Morales said the
Bureau of Customs (BOC) is mandated to help put a stop to the modus
operandi of illegal drug syndicates of smuggling narcotics and
chemical precursors in through dummy shipments.

"Our goal is not limited to meeting our target collection because the
bureau is also a crucial agency in the campaign against illegal
drugs," he said. "(Illegal) drug syndicates from abroad have been
trying to smuggle their illegal merchandise here and we can't just let
them pass."

Morales stressed that he would be taking action to boost the BOC's
campaign against illegal drugs, including the reconstitution of the
bureau's anti-narcotics teams with K-9 units.

He also vowed to revitalize all ship and aircraft boarding teams and
initiate closer coordination with international anti-narcotics agencies.

Morales also said he is lobbying for the acquisition of two
watercraft, closed-circuit TV (CCTV) controllers, service vehicles,
firearms and radio communication equipment for his agency.

He added that the BoC is also improving its computer database, which
will be used in the BoC effort to stop the smuggling of illegal drugs
and raw materials for illegal narcotics into the country.

Under the provisions of Republic Act 9165, anyone caught manufacturing
or disseminating illegal drugs, including methamphetamine
hydrochloride or shabu, and similar substances, faces harsh penalties,
including death by lethal injection.

The new Customs chief said his bureau must remain vigilant against
shipments of illegal drugs even if it only has 525 BOC personnel
deployed to the country's ports.

He said the BoC is capable of scanning all containers, baggage and
cargo in seaports and international airports using regular X-ray scanners.

The Customs Task Group on Dangerous Drugs and Controlled Chemicals
(CTGDDCC) has been tasked as the BOC's lead unit in the anti-drug
campaign and is in charge of identifying personalities and dummy
companies involved in the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country.

Besides this unit the BOC, as a whole, has been monitoring the
importation of drugs, chemical precursors and other essential
chemicals used in manufacturing illicit narcotics, Morales said.

He said BoC agents are also determining possible links between these
shipments and local underground drug laboratories that manufacture
illegal drugs in the country using smuggled raw materials.

He said Customs needs more field test kits and other equipment used to
detect the presence of drugs, and other chemicals used in
manufacturing illegal drugs. 
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MAP posted-by: Tom