Duterte renews threat to kill drug dealers

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has expressed concern that Chinese drug rings continue to operate in the country.

Addressing the nation yesterday, Duterte alerted the Chinese government on drug rings operating in the Philippines.

“I’d like the Chinese government to know that there are many ways of fighting corruption. But one of them that really pisses me no end, these are things that destroy my country, the human resource, ang mga bata, ang mga anak namin, ninyo,” he said.

The President also renewed his threat to kill drug dealers.

”If you destroy my country, distributing P5.1 billion shabu all throughout my country, I will kill you,” the President said.

Duterte was reacting to a report of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Archie Gamboa on the arrest of a Chinese citizen who yielded 76 kilos of shabu with an estimated street value of P5.1 billion in Marilao, Bulacan on Thursday.

He said the Philippines has become a transshipment point of shabu. He cited the Sinaloa drug cartel of Mexico, which he said has infiltrated the country.

The Chief Executive  lauded operatives of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group for the drug haul, said to be one of the biggest, amid the pandemic.

“Despite the pandemic, police are working... Unmindful of the fact that they can get COVID (coronavirus disease 2019) because of their dedication,” Duterte said.

Uncalled for

As this developed, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) said the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on serious human rights violations in the Philippine government’s war on drugs was ”uncalled for and unwarranted.”

The DDB said the government undertakes a whole-of-nation approach under the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy, which balances law enforcement and public health strategies.

”None of these permit abuse of authority. The Philippine government does not condone extrajudicial killings,” it said.

Int’l drug ring

Meanwhile, authorities are investigating if Samson Tan, who was arrested in Laguna on Wednesday for alleged possession of more than a kilo of shabu worth P7.4 million, is connected with the P5.1-billion drug haul.

Police said Tan, who  has links with an international drug syndicate, is also a chemist for a drug ring.

Gamboa said the seized drugs could reach as far as the Visayas and Mindanao.

Gamboa said they are pursuing leads on where the drugs originated. Emmanuel Tupas, Romina Cabrera