US DEA to help RP fight drugs

The United States has expressed its readiness to help the government in its renewed campaign against illegal drugs.

This information was relayed to opposition presidential hopeful Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Tuesday night by Mark Connell, acting country attaché of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Lacson told reporters yesterday that Connell told him that he met last week with Director General Anselmo Avenido of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to discuss possible cooperation in combating the drug menace.

"I was informed by Mark Connell that he reaffirmed the US DEA’s willingness to cooperate with the PDEA for as long as the administration’s anti-drug effort is not politically-motivated," he said.

Asked what help the DEA could possibly extend to its Philippine counterpart, Lacson said it could be in the areas of information sharing and interdicting drug shipments.

The US agency can also provide equipment assistance, he added.

Lacson was invited to a meeting of foreign law enforcement officers who are attached to their embassies here and who are their government’s listening posts on the crime situation in the country.

The opposition senator used to meet with them regularly as head of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) and later as Philippine National Police chief.

Besides Connell, those who attended the meeting, held at a hotel in Manila, were DEA resident investigator Daniel Cruz, Ian Sergeant of Britain, Brian McDonald of the Australian federal police, Paul Hsuch of the Taiwan Ministry of Justice, Kamao Kang of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Taiwanese Consul Frank Fu, and two representatives of the Japan National Police Administration.

Connell and his colleagues also told Lacson that their respective agencies do not have any derogatory information against him.

The opposition presidential hopeful, whom allies of President Arroyo have accused of involvement in illegal drugs, was elated by what he heard.

"If these foreign officers have information that I am involved in drugs, you cannot expect them to invite me to attend their meeting. Napakaingat ng mga yan," he said.

Later on Tuesday night, in Pia Hontiveros’ "Strictly Politics" talks show on ANC, Lacson said he is not in the PNP’s and PDEA’s "order of battle" on drug traffickers.

He was referring to a report prepared by the PNP Narcotics Command in July last year before it was subsumed by the PDEA. The report, which listed 38 "major drug syndicates" and hundreds of pushers and couriers under them and the areas where they operate, is now with Avenido.

Among these syndicates are the Benito Ong Tan, Go Chi Wei, William Chua, Chat Que, Ngo Lian Seng, George Go, Zheng Chongquing, Peter Lim, Parojinog, Oliver Ong, Henry Ong, Swei Liu, Bebot Taban, Junior Parena, Andy Chan, Kim Kuadra, Ochate/Kuratong Baleleng, Marimar, Montaner, Sumiliano, Aguilar/Calbayog, Baculod, Macarampat, Agdepa, and Marquez drug groups.