By Mortz C. Ortigoza
Just watch the documentary how cocaine has been peddled from Mexico's Nuevo Laredo to Laredo, Texas, U.S.A by the drug cartel. In Mexico the worth of one kilo cocaine is U.S$ 2 thousand or Php 88 thousand, pag dating sa border it is already U.S $5 thousand or Php 220 thousand, pag dating sa burgeoning U.S Mainland it is worth U.S $ 20 thousand or Php 800 thousand or the one million Police Lieutenant Colonel Cris Abrahano told us about the price of a kilo of shabu
. Drug cartels paid millions of dollars the Mexican governors, mayors, judges, generals down to the military and police foot soldiers. To Philippine law enforcement,
that's narco-politics at its finish!
***
That's why the U.S government was furious last week that for the second time World richest drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a rumored ally of the Central Intelligence Agency when it fought the Sandinista in Nicaragua and who squealed to U.S authorities the brass of the Mexican Cartels Zeta, Gulf, others, escaped through an air conditioned tunnel from the high security prison to a mansion being constructed one mile from the prison. U.S earlier had been requesting the corrupt Mexican government for the ruthless and charming El Chapo, who could asked God to drink serbesa with the Devil, to be extradited to the U.S just like what the U.S had done to jack fruit face Panama President General Manuel Noriega.
***
. Drug cartels paid millions of dollars the Mexican governors, mayors, judges, generals down to the military and police foot soldiers. To Philippine law enforcement,
that's narco-politics at its finish!
***
That's why the U.S government was furious last week that for the second time World richest drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a rumored ally of the Central Intelligence Agency when it fought the Sandinista in Nicaragua and who squealed to U.S authorities the brass of the Mexican Cartels Zeta, Gulf, others, escaped through an air conditioned tunnel from the high security prison to a mansion being constructed one mile from the prison. U.S earlier had been requesting the corrupt Mexican government for the ruthless and charming El Chapo, who could asked God to drink serbesa with the Devil, to be extradited to the U.S just like what the U.S had done to jack fruit face Panama President General Manuel Noriega.
***
The selling of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) is not only lucrative but is based on layers from the main source to the street pusher, according to Dagupan City’s chief of police Supt. Christopher Abrahano.
Drug hoards as shown by the police to the media men |
Abrahano, a bemedaled former Presidential Security Group and former Narcotic Command official, cites the Chinese manufacturer of the illegal drugs, say, in Manila maintains three to five middlemen considered as the first front traffickers. Those middle men have been selling the merchandise with the supply areas ((SA) in Quiapo, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Tarlac, Olongapo, and others where a big time trafficker in Pangasinan province patronizes before he distributes them to the number of drug groups (DG) in the 3 million populated province. The DG would cut into pieces what they dubbed as ”tarya” and sell it to the peddlers in the city and the nearby towns who sell them by even adulterating them to maximize their profit.
HOW THE ILLEGAL TRANSACTION DONE
Abrahano said that these laboratories are found in and outside the Metro Manila areas where the middle men take the drugs.
“Minsan hindi mag re -release iyan pag hindi limang kilo. Basta pinakamababa isang kilo ang i-re release niyan,” he refers to the personality at the laboratory who got the say how much would be distributed in the market.
He said the buyer from the SA buys and sells the P1 million a kilo for P2 million where he earns a profit of P1 million.
But he said buyer deals not directly with the SA but with the latter middleman who is part of the three or five layer again.
“Parang network uli. Tatlo, apat na iyon wala pa rin silang (buyer) direct link sa Quiapo, others. Ang Pangasinan hindi maka-diretso diyan sa Quiapo, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Tarlac, Olongapo,” he said.
The chief of police, a Philippine National Police Academy graduate, said the layer is a protection to the heads of the syndicate against arrest by the law enforcers.
“Mas marami kang kausap, mas delikado,” he refers to the precaution done by the SA.
He said drug groups (DG) in Pangasinan compete for the market.
He cited the DGs by hypothetically naming them as Dagupan City’s DGs 1-2-3, Alaminos City’s DGS 1-2-3, and Urdaneta City’s DGs 1-2-3.
He said each of these nine drug groups buy from the main dealer in Pangasinan from 500 gram, 300 gram, 200 gram, or P100 gram of shabu.
Abrahano did not say how many main dealers these DGS patronized in the province.
TARYA AND ADULTERATION
This is where tarya plays its part on the drug groups.
“Bibili ako ng one gram P1000 to P2000. Dito sa Dagupan City o saan man iyon puwedi ka makabili doon puwede sa Bonuan (a village here). Sabihin mo P1000 to P2000, one gram na iyan hahatiin mo iyan into 20 parts, parang peso-peso na ganoon karami iyong one gram. Isang sigarilyo, natimbang ko na ito. 20 parts. Ibebenta mo ng P300 (each), you do the math. P6000 na iyon! P2,000 lang puhunan mo,” Abrahano stressed.
Thus after the DG sells it to the street pusher here or in the nearby towns, he either sells it for P300 to P500 or adulterate it with Albatross (toilet deodorizer) or tawas (alum) to double its weight so he can earn a gross of P1000.
“Pueding Albatross, iyong pabango ng banyo, tawas. P1000 uli iyon! Ibebenta ng tig P500, hahatiin one part sabihin mo .3 (gram) kamo,” he explained how the enterprising street pusher added more granules or powder on his merchandise.
He said from the P300 seed money, the street peddler can earn a whooping P700 in that adulterated methamphetamine hydrochloride.
Abrahano said there are still street pushers who passed off the drugs to another peddler for the latter to earn a minimal profit.
He explained the DGS earn more compared to the middlemen of the owner of the laboratory if based on the kilo of sale because of the “tarya” and adulteration.
He said the buy and sell of drugs is “kaliwa-an” or cash basis.
But if the dealer in Pangasinan has made a close relationship with the DG the latter can pay after two days when he took the merchandise.
“Dahil magkaibigan na tayo dahil consignacion babalik mo sa akin after two days ang pera. Tapos bibigyan kita uli.”.