Illegal drug trade in the Philippines

The prevalence of drug use in the Philippines is lower than the global average, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Two of the most used and valuable illegal drugs in the country are methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) and marijuana.Ephedrine and methylenedioxy methamphetamine are also among the list of illegal drugs that are of great concern to the authorities. According to Reuters, the then President-elect of the Philippines and now president Rodrigo Duterte has predicted the country could become a 'narco-state' if the country's tide of drug addiction is not pushed back. In 2012, the United Nations said the Philippines had the highest rate of methamphetamine use in East Asia, and according to a U.S. State Department report, 2.1 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 64 use the drug, which is known locally as Shabu . On Metro Manila, most barangays are being affected by illegal drugs. According to the 2011 UN Drug Report, the Philippines has the highest methamphetamine hydrochloride abuse rate in East Asia.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency identified that the mountainous parts of Northern Luzon, Eastern Visayas and Mindanao are viable for marijuana cultivation. Marijuana produced in the country is distributed locally and is also exported to other countries. Local distribution of marijuana increased in 2012 despite destruction of illegal marijuana plantations.

Drug syndicates have been producing methamphetamine in small-scale and kitchen-type laboratories to avoid detection by the Philippine authorities since 2010. Usually, drug syndicates rent warehouses for use as drug laboratories. These syndicates have moved towards renting houses in private subdivisions, condominiums and apartments to be used as bases for their illegal drug production. Private properties are becoming more favorable to drug syndicates as sites of illegal drug production.

Methamphetamine remains more feasible to sell in the Philippines than cocaine, a more costly illegal drug.

Owing to its geographical location, international drug syndicates use the Philippines as a transit hub for the illegal drug trade. Some local drug syndicates are also involved in the international illegal drug trade, and utilize drug mules to transport small amounts of illegal drugs to other countries. Some overseas Filipino workers have been utilized by drug syndicates as drug mules, either knowingly or unknowingly. Most Filipino drug mules, mainly women, are sent to China, where drug convicts will face execution via lethal injection. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport has been identified as a favorable illegal drug trafficking hub.

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Wikipedia