Short of shabu, pushers now turning to pot

CEBU, Philippines — With the supply of shabu getting low, many drug users and pushers are now turning to marijuana, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

PDEA-7 director Emerson Margate said that in the first quarter of 2018, they were able to uproot around P30 million worth of marijuana plants in at least six plantations together with the PNP.

“Nabawasan na ang supply ng shabu, so nag-resort back sila sa marijuana since conducive ‘yung weather topography sa Cebu Province, makikita natin ang correlation. Nagda-divert sila (drug personalities). May demand kasi nga kulang na ang shabu,” said Margate.

He added that based on tests they conducted on shabu recovered from suspects arrested during recent illegal drug operations, the quality of shabu is also declining.

“Pina-qualitative test natin, napakababa ng purity ng shabu na nakuha siguro nasa 20 percent. Ganoon lang ‘yung purity niya,” Margate said.

Recently, the operatives of Cebu City Mobile Force Company together with PDEA-7 and the Cebu Provincial Police Office uprooted more than P2 million worth of fully grown marijuana plants in Barangay Tagbao, Cebu City.

Last April 10, the operatives also uprooted more than P9 million worth of marijuana plants in the same barangay.

Margate said that drug pushers encourage the people in the mountains to plant marijuana so they can source them.

“Ang ginagawa kasi ng mga personalities na nagbebenta ng shabu, hinihikayat  nila ‘yung mga nasa bundok-bundok. Sila rin ‘yung bumibili. Kawawa talaga itong mga nag-cultivate. Kung i-profile natin ang mga tao na ito, mga mahihirap. Magre-recruit sila kung sino pa iyung mare-recruit for the promise of money,” said Margate.

Meanwhile, in Tuburan policemen found a plastic pack containing dried marijuana leaves thrown away about 50 meters away from a checkpoint in Barangay Daanlungsod, Wednesday afternoon.

Police Officer 1 Roel Fuenteblanca said that while policemen were still setting up the checkpoint, a man drove up on a motorcycle but suddenly threw something away and changed direction.

When policemen checked the item thrown away they found it was plastic bag containing dried marijuana leaves estimated at P6,250.

The police believe it was intended for delivery but the drug runner saw the police setting up the checkpoint and quickly fled. (FREEMAN)