ILOILO CITY - The Dangerous Drugs Board is offering a maximum of P500,000 reward for any person who can provide information to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement agencies, that will lead to the discovery of any clandestine shabu laboratory.

PDEA regional director Rolen Balquin yesterday said the offering of cash rewards of between P300,000 to P500,000 to informants will boost the anti-drug campaign of the government.

Balquin said they are verifying reports on the existence of two shabu laboratories, including a mobile lab, in the Western Visayas.

The PDEA is now hopping among key cities of the Western Visayas to conduct training for members of law enforcement agencies, barangay officials and tanods, that aims to provide them with information on how to identify precursors and chemicals used in the manufacture of shabu, and in identifying shabu laboratories.

PDEA investigations show that the series of discoveries and dismantlings of shabu laboratories in Luzon and Mindanao led to the scarcity of supply of the substance all over the country, including Region 6. Balquin said the price of shabu has risen from P3,000 to P5,000 per gram, citing testimonies of arrested drug peddlers.

PDEA investigators also discovered that drug users have resorted to the use of marijuana due to the scarcity of shabu.

Balquin also reported the existence of five local drug gangs in Western Visayas, two of which are operating in Negros, and whose limited supplies of shabu were traced to have originated from Manila, Cebu and Mindanao.

The Cuadra Group which had already been neutralized in previous after the arrest of its leader and almost half of its members, is now operational with some new members.

Balquin, however, refused to identify the new leader of the Cuadra group.

In the past two years, three suspected couriers were arrested by the police in San Carlos City, and this led to the recovery of nine kilos of dried marijuana leaves from Balamban, Cebu.

The port of San Carlos City, which is among the entry points of drugs in Negros Occidental, is being closely watched by the police, in coordination with the Maritime Group, PDEA and Philippine Coast Guard.

Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, San Carlos police chief, said they have noticed that marijuana suppliers use the coastal areas of neighboring town Calatrava as their entry point to avoid detection.*GPB

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