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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
AN intensified anti-drug campaign
is expected to crack the whip on offenders after the Bureau of
Immigration (BI) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)
joined forces to put an end to the illicit drug trade both here and
abroad.
Immigration Commissioner
Marcelino Libanan and PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago signed
the agreement where both officials pledged to strengthen their
cooperation.
“This agreement will send our
strong warning against these foreign drug lords and that it won’t
be long before they get caught,” Libanan said in a statement.
Libanan noted that the said
agreement will be crucial in the anti-drug campaign since a
large volume of illegal drugs in the country come from foreign
shores and are manufactured by foreigners. The Immigration chief
also cited instances where law enforcers have arrested foreigners
suspected of being drug chemists in raids of suspected drug dens and
drug laboratories.
Under the merger, the Immigration
bureau agreed to assist the PDEA in investigating drug cases
involving foreigners, and in collecting, establishing and
maintaining a travel database of suspected foreign drug lords that
enter and leave the country.
The Libanan-led bureau also
agreed to issue a mission order against foreigners suspected of
involvement in illegal drugs, besides filing cases against them for
violation of immigration laws.
For its part, the PDEA will
establish strong partnership with the BI in investigating and
sharing intelligence information with the bureau about suspected
foreign drug personalities.
The agreement will also help the Immigration
agency in processing and analyzing intelligence information
regarding illegal aliens suspected of being drug traffickers.
The PDEA will extend all
necessary operational and administrative assistance to its partner,
including orientation of Immigration personnel about the
anti-drug law and the mechanics and operations of the PDEA.
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