Shabu remains most in demand illegal drug, but pushers shift to marijuana – PNP

December 6, 2020

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday said shabu remains as the most in demand illegal drug in the country.

“We maintain that the most in demand illegal drug in the market is still shabu...however, we saw a pattern that since the supply of shabu decreased, (drug sellers) shifted to selling marijuana,” Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana, police spokesperson, said in a radio interview.

Usana said the seizure of eight kilos of shabu amounting to P54 million in a Parañaque City last Saturday is an indication that shabu is still in demand.

He said to prevent the penetration of marijuana in Metro Manila, the police are now intensifying their operations against those who are selling and planting marijuana.

The police spokesperson said aside from the Cordillera region, marijuana plantation was also discovered in Cebu.

“From our previous operations, we also found it in Cebu,” Usana said.

Last November 29, government operatives confiscated 217 kilograms of marijuana amounting to P26 million from three drugs suspects in Quezon City.

Due to the incident, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año ordered police to further intensify their checkpoints and work with the military in order to curb the proliferation of marijuana which according to him is being used as an alternative for shabu. Ella Dionisio/DMS