EDITORIAL - Drug trafficking hub

The country is reaping another dubious honor in a region where it has become a laggard in many development indicators: authorities in three Southeast Asian states have linked the Philippines to cross-border drug trafficking operations.

Philippine law enforcement agencies are looking into the seizure in Laos on Oct. 1 of 521 kilos of shabu from a private jet at Luang Prabang International Airport, with a Filipino among those arrested.

The jet took off for Laos from Subang airport in Malaysia without cargo. Malaysian and Lao authorities said the illegal drugs were supposed to be destined for the Philippines.

Last week, Thai police seized from a boat 1.18 tons of shabu packed in tea bags, hidden in 39 sacks and then stashed in a secret compartment of the vessel. Six Thai crew members were arrested, but the shipment was also bound for the Philippines, according to Thai authorities.

Laotian authorities said they were tipped off on Sept. 21 about the planned drug smuggling operation. Apart from the Filipino, 12 other suspects were detained, including a Malaysian and several Singaporeans.

Laotian officials told the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency that it was the Filipino who booked the flight on Sept. 23.

The Philippine National Police is coordinating with counterparts in Laos, Malaysia and Thailand. Last Friday, PNP officials said there was still no confirmation that the massive shabu shipment was bound for the Philippines.

Illegal drugs are a touchy, politicized subject in this country. Former president Rodrigo Duterte is detained in The Hague and expected to face trial for crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.

President Marcos ordered a shift in the approach to fighting the illegal drug scourge, moving to end extrajudicial killings and other abuses in the name of law enforcement.

For this, he has come under fire from the Dutertes and their supporters. Last Sunday, Vice President Sara Duterte issued a statement recognizing the concerns raised by the crystal meth seizures in Laos and Thailand. She expressed “my deep regret that our country has become associated with this problem.”

During the Duterte presidency, however, shabu was smuggled by the ton right through the Bureau of Customs.

Law enforcement authorities must determine who those drug traffickers in Laos, Malaysia and Thailand were working with in the Philippines.

President Marcos must move swiftly to prevent the country from becoming a hub for cross-border drug trafficking. At the same time, he must show that gross human rights violations need not be indispensable to an effective campaign against illegal drugs.