New drug shipment trend seen
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 is monitoring ports in Western Visayas for possible smuggling of illegal drugs through “transient carriers” or persons who swallow the drugs to conceal these and pass through laser inspection.
Paul Ledesma, officer-in-charge of PDEA-6, said the drugs such as “shabu,” cocaine, or the so-called “capsulized powder” are placed inside a condom so these can easily be swallowed by the carrier.
Although Ledesma said they have not received any report about such modus operandi in Western Visayas, he said it can happen.
There are some international flights in Kalibo but the nothing similar to the case of “transient carriers” has been reported yet.
But it has already happened in Manila which is “very near to Region 6,” he said.
“The main problem is that our airport has no high-tech equipment that can
detect illegal drugs inside the human body,” Ledesma said.
Ledesma said such modus operandi originated in Southeast Asia and Filipinos are identified to be those who usually act as “carriers.”
Some women carriers are married to members of a West African drug syndicate.
According to PDEA 6, some carriers carry up to two kilos of capsulized powder in their stomach. Upong reaching their destination, the carriers are ordered to release the item by discharging it through their human waste.
Others have undergone operations after they failed to release the drugs from their body. Also, if the capsulized powder will burst inside the carrier’s stomach, he or she will suffer overdose.
“There is a risk in carrying these drugs. They risk because of the money involved,” Ledesma said.*
