Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito suspects that China is purposely turning a blind eye to shipments of illegal drugs to the Philippines.
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito suspects that China is purposely turning a blind eye to shipments of illegal drugs to the Philippines.
“It’s like the Opium Wars in the 18th century [when China’s Qing dynasty battled the opium trafficking of foreign traders, mostly British] , ” Ejercito said in a statement on Friday.
“The situation at present is quite parallel, only that some Chinese are possibly [now] the major source and instigators of drug shipments to the Philippines, ” he added.
Ejercito said China could help stem narcotics shipments to the Philippines if it really wanted and urged Manila authorities to coordinate closely with Beijing.
“If they’ re really a sincere ally, they can put a stop to the shipments of illegal drugs to the Philippines, thereby nipping in the bud our problem, ” he added.
The Senate is currently investigating the P6.4-billion worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) smuggled into the country in May under the noses of the Bureau of Customs. The illegal shipment came from Xiamen, China.
