EDITORIAL - Cyber drug deals

If pedophiles, white slave traders and terrorists can thrive using the Internet, why not drug traffickers? Few people were surprised by a recent report that the sale of illegal drugs on the Internet is booming. Hamid Ghodse, president of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board or INCB, said people not only can buy illegal drugs in cyberspace, but also discuss recipes for making the drugs as well as learn to avoid police detection and arrest. A company in the Netherlands openly advertises cannabis seeds for sale throughout the world. Ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and marijuana can also be obtained.

In its annual report for 2001, the INCB said Czech authorities have learned that illegal drugs can be purchased online even at Internet cafés or through cell phones. Drugs banned in many countries but already legal in others can also be purchased through licensed pharmacies online. Drug deals can be made in cyber chat rooms, which are protected by fire walls to keep out snoops. Chinese authorities also reported that drug traffickers hacked into a Customs database and fiddled with the details of a freight shipment in an attempt to throw off law enforcers. Apart from drug deals, traffickers also use cyber banking to launder drug money.

Tracking down drug traffickers the traditional way has been tough enough. Can the Philippines handle this latest threat? Even the amended Dangerous Drugs Act will be toothless against this problem. The National Telecommunications Commission, which regulates Internet service providers, admitted it is helpless in stopping the illicit drug trade in cyberspace. A law has been passed to crack down on cyber crimes, but technology is advancing too rapidly. Before Philippine law enforcers can master the technology and the ways of cyber criminals, the crooks have learned new tricks.

The problem is particularly alarming when you consider that at the end of 2001 there were 700 million people online worldwide, with Internet use doubling every six months. Filipinos may be among the least computer-savvy in this region, but even a handful of drug traffickers with access to cyberspace could destroy the lives of thousands of Filipinos. The government should rush to address this threat.