The Daily Tribune <<< Without Fear or Favor >>>

»HEADLINES

»NATION

...As Iran, RP forge ties to fight illegal drugs

By Gina Peralta-Elorde

10/22/2009

Iran’s Ambassador to the Philippines Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani recently visited the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to facilitate bilateral cooperation between Iranian and Philippine governments in the war against illegal drugs.

Rouzbehani sat down with top level PDEA officials led by Director General Dionisio Santiago last Sept. 25 to discuss points of mutual cooperation in the global effort to crush the drug problem.

Rouzbehani cited Iran’s proximity with Afghanistan, which makes it vulnerable as a transshipment point for smuggling illegal drugs.

Rouzbehani expressed full support and cooperation with Philippine drug law enforcement authorities in light of reports reaching the Iranian Embassy that some Iranian exchange students were engaged in the use and sale of illegal drugs.

Santiago welcomed this development especially with the recent event where the Philippine Embassy in Iran issued a warning for all Filipinos not to get involved in drug trafficking activities in the Middle Eastern country.

Iranian (Shariah) law imposes on drug offenders the penalty of life imprisonment or death by hanging.

The Iranian Embassy report addressed to the Department of Foreign Affairs cited that the latest cases involved non-Iran based Filipinos who were tricked by unscrupulous individuals, most probably members of drug trafficking organizations who offer lucrative salaries in exchange for the seemingly easy task of transporting a package along with their baggage.

“Time and again we have repeatedly issued travel advisories warning Filipinos travelling abroad to either refuse requests from strangers (usually West Africans/Nigerians) to carry baggage or to carefully inspect packages before agreeing to carry them. It is truly sad to note that Filipinos involved in drug trafficking face scathing consequences when they are caught (wittingly or unwittingly) smuggling illegal drugs,” the PDEA chief said.

The Iranian ambassador committed to sponsor a bilateral meeting between Iranian and Philippine drug law enforcement authorities to discuss the problems affecting the efforts to address the drug problems of both countries.