Manila: One-hundred-and-twelve foreigners were arrested in the Philippines in 2016 for drug offences, said authorities.
“Foreign nationals arrested for drug-related offences nationwide more than doubled to 79 six months into the government’s war against drugs. During the first semester of 2016, 33 foreigners were already nabbed,” Director General Isidro Lapena of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said in a statement issued on Sunday.
A stepped up anti-drugs operation had been one of the cornerstones of President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-criminality strategy, which hinges on eliminating drug pushers. The President has been widely criticised abroad for his unconventional approach to improving peace and order, but results speak of an improvement in the apprehension of criminals selling and distributing drugs.
A great number of the drugs that can be sourced in the country are from abroad.
“Foreign nationals were found to be greatly involved in the spread of illegal drugs in the country. In 2016, a total of 112 foreign nationals were arrested for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” said Lapena.
Among the foreigners apprehended, Chinese nationals top the list with 44, followed by Taiwanese at 29, and seven Hong Kong nationals and seven Koreans. The rest are other Asians, Americans, Europeans and African nationals.
Based on PDEA records from 2010 to 2016, a total of 473 foreign nationals were arrested for violating the anti-drug law: 112 in 2016, 38 in 2015, 67 in 2014, 77 in 2013, 65 in 2012, 45 in 2011 and 69 in 2010.
“Out of the foreigners arrested in the last seven years, 227, or 48 per cent, were Chinese nationals. They were either pushers, possessors, couriers, manufacturers and financiers,” Lapena pointed out.
To address the influx of Chinese nationals involved in the country’s drug trade, PDEA and the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) signed a Protocol on Cooperation on October 20, 2016 in Beijing, China.
The protocol, which will be effective for five years, aims to effectively suppress and control drug crimes between the two nations.
“PDEA has stepped up its campaign to pursue foreigners responsible for the proliferation of dangerous drugs in the country. This led to their eventual arrest through high-impact operations, including the dismantling of clandestine laboratories used in the manufacture of shabu, chemical warehouses, prevention of drug trafficking in airports and seaports, and high-volume seizures through buy-bust operations,” the PDEA chief said.
