Lacson to PNP, PDEA: Let street pushers lead to big-time drug suppliers

Instead of killing street pushers, the Philippine National Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency must exhaust efforts to arrest them, so they can lead to the big-time suppliers of illegal drugs.

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson offered this formula to the two agencies so they can deal the drug trade a major blow.

“Don’t kill the street pushers; arrest them. Make them lead you to the big-time suppliers, then finish the job by engaging those suppliers in a shootout. Get another street pusher and continue the cycle,” Lacson said in a post on his Twitter account on Thursday. 


When he headed the PNP from 1999 to 2001, Lacson employed a two-pronged strategy against illegal drugs, focusing not only on the demand side but also the supply side.

This meant going after not just the pushers on the streets, but also after those supplying the illegal drugs.

Earlier, Lacson urged the PDEA and Dangerous Drugs Board to focus their efforts on the so-called big fish.

He said that while police are capable of going after street peddlers, the two agencies should concentrate on those at the higher levels.

The PDEA is the specialized agency implementing the government’s efforts against illegal drugs, while the DDB is the policy-making body.