Gov't warns of illegal drug trade online

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The anti-narcotics agency warned today of an ongoing trend of trading so-called "fly-high " tablets that contain methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) and "party drugs" over the internet.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr. made the warning after the recent apprehension of an Indian national in a buy-and-bust operation conducted by combined operatives of PDEA and police in the city of Manila.

The 18-year-old suspect, identified as Prabhjot Gill, was allegedly a major distributor of "fly-high" and "party drugs" in Metro Manila and some parts of Central Luzon in northern Philippines.

Initial investigation revealed that prior to his arrest, Gil had purchased 500 pieces of ecstasy tablets from an online black market using peer-to-peer online payment service that shipped the illegal drugs into the country from the Netherlands through parcel post, Cacdac said.

The Philippine authorities intercepted Gil's package containing the "party drugs" worth P750,000 (about $16,800) in the Central Post Office in Manila on Wednesday, which led to his arrest, the police officer said.

"Drug dealers have taken advantage of internet and other computer network technology in selling and delivery of illegal drugs through online marketplaces. We need to find ways and means to dampen this method of drug trafficking," Cacdac said.