Narcopolitics prevalent in the country

It’s rather ironic that information given to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency comes from international organizations like the Interpol, the FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that also conducts trainings and works with local authorities through an interagency task force to counter drug trafficking – a widespread problem in the country as well as a major global threat because of its links with terrorism and criminality.

In the 2017 INCSR (International Narcotics Control Strategy Report) by the US State Department, it noted that “international organized crime groups have established operational elements throughout the urban areas of the Philippines.” One problem, however, is that law enforcement agencies and justice sector agencies “lack sufficient resources, staff and effective investigative tools to identify, investigate and prosecute transnational drug trafficking organizations,” with many cases dismissed due to technicalities.

Experts say the global market for drug trafficking is now worth $652 billion or more than half a trillion dollars annually – making it the second most lucrative illegal market after counterfeiting/pirated goods that reportedly generate more than $1 trillion annually.

In his speech before the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) conference against illegal drugs held in Vienna, Austria last July 10, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) executive director Yuri Fedotov said terrorism’s links to drugs and crime is recognized even by the UN Security Council as a “threat to global peace, security and development. It is also widely acknowledged that terrorists and extremists require funding for their heinous acts, and criminal activity is often a major source for such funding.”

Last February, the US Drug Enforcement Agency arrested several individuals believed to be members of the terrorist group Hezbollah’s “External Security Organization Business Affairs Component” which works with drug cartels in South America such as the La Oficina de Envigado (said to be a major supplier of cocaine to Europe and the US) to ensure a constant stream of weapons and funding for the international terrorist organization. The US DEA said the arrests uncovered a major drug trafficking operation used by the Hezbollah to procure funds for its activities and purchase weapons.

In another conference in Istanbul, a UNODC official also admitted that “drug trafficking has provided funding for insurgency,” and that in many cases, drugs have been used as the “currency” in committing terrorist attacks, as seen in the March 2004 Madrid train bombings days before the general elections in Spain.

The link between the illicit drug trade and terrorist groups is really worrisome, with suspicions that local politicians are actually drug protectors, if not the drug lords themselves. Many point to the seizure of 11 kilograms of high-grade shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) said to be worth as much as P250 million during clearing operations by government troops in Marawi City.

Another P10 million worth of shabu was also discovered in the house of the former vice mayor of Marawi who is reportedly a sympathizer of Maute terrorists. Prior to that, authorities also seized P300,000 worth of shabu in Cagayan de Oro, with the suspect admitting his supply came from Marawi City.

The link between the illegal drug trade and politicians – which many people now know as “narcopolitics” – has long been suspected. As early as the ‘80s, stories have been coming out about politicians acting as drug coddlers and protectors – if not the boss of the drug organization themselves – which is a major reason why the illicit trade has grown and proliferated. Analysts say drug cartels are particularly active during elections because politicians use the drug trade to raise campaign funds and use them to woo voters.

It would seem the President has not been crying wolf when he raised the specter of narcopolitics and how its tentacles have spread across the country. Aside from politicians, law enforcement agents involved in the drug trade are another serious problem – as seen in the case of Korean national Jee Ick-joo who was brutally kidnapped and murdered – within Camp Crame itself – by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

I personally spoke with National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran who told me the NBI is already done with the preliminary investigation regarding the kidnap-slay case of Jee Ick-joo, and that there is already a recommendation for charges to be filed against a police colonel and several others. What makes cases such as Jee Ick-joo’s worrisome is that those who are supposed to uphold the law and prevent the drug trade from spreading are actually the ones involved in drugs. Among those who have been implicated in the Korean national’s murder are members of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group.

While human rights groups continue to criticize the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs – the latest of which is the raid on the residence of Ozamiz mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and his wife, which resulted in the couple’s death – it would seem that majority of Filipinos support the President’s initiative, with many even asking that Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido – the Ozamiz City police chief who was also the chief of Albuera Police in Leyte when CIDG elements raided the cell of Rolando Espinosa Sr. – be assigned to their towns or municipalities to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs.

Many police officers, who were simply doing their jobs, have been left in the cold when cases were filed against them by drug suspects, which is why many have been hesitant to do their jobs. The President’s assurance that “I have your back” – meaning “just do what you are supposed to do within the bounds of the law and I will protect you” – has encouraged many to intensify the fight against illegal drugs that has proven not only to be a local scourge, but also a global threat.

* * *

Email: [email protected]