BOOSTING ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN. PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva (2nd from left) receives the drug detection equipment donation from officials of the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the US Department of State in a ceremony at the PDEA Headquarters on Wednesday (Oct. 28, 2020). Villanueva said the drug detection equipment would enhance the conduct of transnational drug trafficking investigations at the country's airports. (Photo courtesy of PDEA)
MANILA – The United States' Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Wednesday donated several drug detection equipment worth PHP13 million to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to boost its capability to probe drug trafficking in airports.
The turn-over ceremony at the PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City was attended by Christopher J. Adduci, Country Attaché, US DEA; Adam J. Nobbley, Assistant Country Attaché, US DEA; Laurence Madariaga, Assistant Country Attaché, US DEA; Mark Everson, Maritime Operations Coordinator of the US Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL); Jonalyn Santos, Drug Demand Reduction Manager, INL; and Brett Blackshaw, Political Counselor from the US Department of State.
PDEA Director General Wilkins Villanueva said the drug detection equipment will enhance the conduct of transnational drug trafficking investigations at the airport. These would be turned over to the PDEA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (IADITG).
The donated equipment includes three Rigaku handheld drug analyzers; two N2200 handheld narcotics detectors; two Viken HBI-120 handheld X-ray imagers; one B & W TEK tactic ID-1064 handheld Raman spectrometer, and one Heuresis handheld X-ray unit.
Washington DC, through the USDEA and INL, has been continuously supporting PDEA in its fight against illegal drugs.
On Dec. 2015, the US DEA also donated two vehicles and two motorcycles to the PDEA task group at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). On August 2017, handheld devices for on-the-scene field test and detection of illicit drugs were also given.
“PDEA is very grateful to our counterpart, the US DEA, for their continued support to our campaign against illegal drugs, particularly in training and capability building. This equipment will surely enhance the investigation capabilities of our airport interdiction task force,” Villanueva said. (PNA)
