EDITORIAL - Are we turning into a narcostate?

How can the government’s campaign against drug trafficking get anywhere when public officials themselves are enriching themselves with drug money? This week Mayor Ronnie Mitra of Panukulan town in Quezon province was suspended for six months by the Office of the Ombudsman together with his civilian security escorts, Ruel Dequilla and Javier Morilla. The administrative sanction was based on a complaint filed by Interior Secretary Jose Lina. But the suspension may be the least of Mitra’s worries. Government prosecutors also want him and his security aides detained without bail for the capital offense of drug trafficking.

Mitra and his aides were arrested Oct. 14 in Barangay Kiloloran in the Quezon town of Real while allegedly transporting 503.6 kilos of shabu with an estimated value of P1 billion. Also apprehended was a Chinese national, Willie Yang. Police said the suspects were transporting the shabu in a Panukulan ambulance and a van with the word "mayor" on the commemorative license plates.

The only good news here is that Mitra was apprehended despite the license plates and his position. For every prominent suspect arrested, however, the public can’t help wondering how many others get away. Even before Mitra’s arrest, there were already indications that the country’s drug problem has reached alarming proportions, with ranking police, military and government officials themselves involved in the drug trade. Sen. Panfilo Lacson is fending off accusations that he laundered drug money earned from operations of the now defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force. Former PAOCTF members are being investigated along with him for alleged involvement in the drug trade. In recent weeks the problem has taken another dimension, with drug money believed to be used by terrorists to finance their operations.

While Mitra’s guilt has yet to be established conclusively, his arrest fuels fears that politicians are turning to drug money not only to enrich themselves but also to finance their campaigns. The government must launch a no-nonsense drive to stop this trend before it becomes widespread and the nation turns into a narcostate.