It’s easy to smuggle drugs into the country – Gordon

The entry of magnetic lifters containing “shabu” (crystal meth) has shown that it is easy to smuggle illegal drugs into the country with help from law enforcement officials, Sen. Richard Gordon has concluded after a series of hearings on the issue.

Gordon, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said some officials were not dedicated and committed enough to go after the suspects even after the discovery of the drug shipments.

“The invasion of drugs in this country is very, very serious, especially because we’re either lax or some people are involved within the uniformed services,” he told reporters.

“It’s so easy to bring in drugs. You just have to talk to a few people,” he added.

Gordon said he would send the evidence his committee had collected to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

“I hope they will look at it and make it a guide and make themselves a deadline for filing of cases,” he said.

Campaign promise

The senator believes criminal charges should be filed against former officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), as well as the consignees of the magnetic lifters, which were seized separately in Manila and Cavite and believed to have contained about P4.3 billion and P11 billion worth of shabu, respectively.

The issue cropped up two years into the administration of President Duterte, who ran and won on the campaign promise to eliminate the illegal drug scourge and make the country a safer place.

Gordon lamented that the investigation of the illegal drug shipments was not intensive and that it needed to be improved.

“[There is] lack of dedication and commitment [in] the job. That makes [law enforcement officials] look bad and that makes criminals feel it is easy to get away with it,” he said.

The PDEA is trying its best, but its best is not good enough, he said.

According to Gordon, those that should face cases for the shabu shipment are retired police Senior Supt. Eduardo Acierto, former PDEA Deputy Director General Ismael Fajardo, and the consignees who were used to bring in the magnetic lifters.

Lapeña not liable

Jimmy Guban, a former customs intelligence officer, would be a witness in the case, he added.

But the senator sees no liability on the part of former Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña, under whose watch the magnetic lifters came in.

Guban earlier testified that it was Acierto who asked for his help in looking for a consignee for a shipment that included magnetic lifters, clothes and kitchen tissues.

After he aired objections to a fourth request to allow the release of a shipment to a consignee, Guban said Acierto admitted that the shipment contained illegal drugs.

Acierto promise

He claimed to have told Acierto that this could not be done, and the Bureau of Customs would seize the shipment.

Acierto then promised to help seize the shipment by providing staggered information about this. Guban also asked Acierto to coordinate with Fajardo on the matter.

PDEA chief Aaron Aquino relieved Fajardo in September because of allegations that he was involved in the shabu shipment. Fajardo has since resigned from the agency.

Gordon said the evidence he gathered from the hearing would be enough for the filing of cases.

He expects to come out with his committee report and recommendations this month.

“You can prove the case even with the circumstantial evidence,” Gordon said.