Embassy bar passes surprise drug inspection

A surprise inspection of the Embassy Super Club in Taguig City on Wednesday night kicked off an intensified campaign of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to combat the reported proliferation of illegal drugs in popular bars and event venues in the metropolis.

PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago was happy that their operation yielded negative results.

“We now tend to believe that the selling of ecstasy (tablets) has already ceased in this popular club,” he stressed.

Authorities earlier reportedly said the sale of ecstasy, an illegal recreational drug, had been rampant inside the Embassy Club, with each pill sold at P1,200 each. 

The same bar had been linked to several controversies, including brawls involving celebrities. Last December, 34-year-old pilot Carlo Jose Castellano was beaten to death by fellow customers following an altercation inside the club.

Last June, the bar was ordered closed by the Taguig city government due to these incidents.

It was reopened in July only after the management agreed to conditions set by the local government, including giving access to a third-party security team from the city government equipped with metal detectors and a drug-sniffing dog at the club’s entrance. 

Santiago said the cooperation of the management of the establishment was key to the successful anti-narcotics inspection.

“We will conduct the same inspection to other venues included in our list of alleged centers of illegal drug trade. So we call on their managements to just cooperate with us so we could have them removed from our list,” he warned.

PDEA agents used drug-sniffing dogs to search for traces of dangerous drugs, particularly ecstasy and cocaine, inside the facility.

Anti-narcotics agents also manned the entrance of the club, which is reportedly often visited by high-profile partygoers, and strictly inspected patrons.   – Edu Punay