More ‘fly-high’ drugs seized

MANILA, Philippines–The use of “fly-high” capsules, a new variant of Ecstasy laced with Viagra and shabu, is on the rise as more seizures of the illegal drug were reported in 2014.

From the first confiscation in December 2013, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) recorded six seizures of the substance touted as the new party drug last year.

Data from PDEA showed that a total of 1,130 “fly-high” capsules and 29 grams of it in powder form were seized in separate operations in Makati City, Manila, Cebu City, Cavite City and at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last year.

“The souped-up Ecstasy is gaining popularity among party-goers and club customers. Fly-high users are identified as belonging to the affluent and high-end of society,” PDEA Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr. said.

Last year, the authorities seized P1-million worth of “fly-high” capsules in a buy-bust operation at a Makati condominium where three suspects were arrested.

Kitchen tools

Cacdac said the suspects used ordinary kitchen equipment to manufacture the new party drug.

“They ground together shabu, Ecstasy and ‘cialis,’ a Chinese Viagra, using mortar and pestle, pulverizing it further with an electric blender and repacking it into capsules,” he said.

In March 2014, an 18-year-old Indian national was arrested after selling 223 orange-colored “fly-high” capsules to an undercover agent along Taft Avenue in Manila.

It was learned the suspect had earlier bought 500 Ecstasy tablets from an online black market website using a peer-to-peer online payment service.

The illegal drug was shipped to the Philippines from the Netherlands via a parcel service.

Cacdac said the demand for “fly-high” was alarming and the PDEA was stepping up its efforts to stop the production and distribution of the drug.–Julie M. Aurelio