The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said it will decongest its cases involving illegal drugs and will handle only syndicate-level crimes, and those involving public officers and big fish, through its anti-illegal drug task force.
In a press conference, DOJ Undersecretary Ian Dato said that Department Order No. 161, which created the task force overseeing illegal drug cases, will be amended to handle cases involving at least 10 kilograms of illegal drugs in Metro Manila and at least 15 kg of narcotics in other areas.
Other cases to be handled by the task force at the national level would be: If the respondent is a public officer or a law enforcement agent; if there is a foreigner involved or intercepted in airports or seaports; and if it involves grave crimes or acts, such as obstruction or construction of clandestine laboratories.
Cases involving small fry or smaller amounts of drugs seized would be referred to prosecutors at the local level.
‘So it elevates the task force to an elite task force that will only go after syndicate-level drug offenders, and everything else will be delegated to local prosecution offices who know their localities best,’ said Dato.
This, he added, would be done upon the recommendation of Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, who found it necessary to streamline its work