EDITORIAL – Hit them where it hurts

A drug pusher may be widely known in the neighborhood. For criminal charges against him to stick, however, he must be caught not only in possession of illegal drugs but also in the act of selling them. This is also to protect the innocent from being framed and from malicious accusations.

But this requirement in a drug case has gotten many suspects off the hook. Kerwin Espinosa’s defense team has pointed this out, claiming prosecutors still have no solid evidence against him despite his confession before the Senate that he is a drug trafficker.

President Duterte has lamented the difficulty of pinning down suspects in his relentless war against illegal drugs. Under his Oplan Tokhang, thousands have registered as drug users and dealers, promising to reform rather than face the prospect of ending up dead with their heads wrapped in plastic and packing tape.

Short of executing notorious drug personalities, there is a way of nailing down those who prove too slippery for the police: follow the money trail. In the case of public officials, even a cursory inspection of homes and vehicles can indicate if someone is living beyond his modest government paycheck. Foreign travels and schools attended by a suspect’s children can be another giveaway.

Thanks to lawmakers concerned about self-preservation, the country still does not have a law against racketeering. But the anti-corruption police can tap the Bureau of Internal Revenue for help in ferreting out those living on ill-gotten wealth. Drug trafficking is among the predicate crimes covered by the Anti-Money Laundering Council. If a formal probe has been initiated against a drug personality, the AMLC can be asked to step in.

Such probes and possible criminal indictments must include not only the principal drug suspect but also members of his family. Drug traffickers are knowledgeable in laundering dirty money, and they are likely to use their relatives in stashing away their loot in banks.

In this land where family ties are strong, a drug trafficker will also readily spend years behind bars as long as his close relatives get to enjoy the fruits of his illegal activities. Preventing this from happening is one effective deterrent to crime. Authorities can check out the lifestyles of relatives of the notorious drug traffickers in the New Bilibid Prison. When President Duterte warns drug dealers that crime does not pay, the criminals must understand that he means it, literally.