ASEAN meeting against illegal drugs held in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippines hosted today a regional cooperation meeting aimed to consolidate and strengthen efforts in control and prevention of drug problems in the Southeast Asian region.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the 2nd Intersessional Working Group Meeting on Law Enforcement under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Senior Officials on Drugs (ASOD) took place in its headquarters in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr. said the one-day meeting was devoted to discussing topics ranging from the updates on new types of illegal drugs, development of laws and legislation, discovery of new modus operandi of drug traffickers such as mail order, postal issue, online order; and strengthening cross-border cooperation among ASEAN member states.  

Among the objectives of the working group meeting was the need for closer coordination with customs and immigration, to advance technology and equipment for law enforcement, to strengthen intelligence cooperation, share information on precursor chemicals and operational background of drug syndicates, and to develop a mechanism for seaport and land checkpoint interdiction.

Among those who attended were senior officials representing the 10 ASEAN member countries, as well as the ASEAN Secretariat.

"This is a clear and positive indication of the firm commitment of PDEA and neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian region to share information on the current drug trends and develop operational strategies to combat international drug trafficking," Cacdac said.