The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) signed Tuesday, Dec. 7, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with electronic commerce (e-commerce) firms Lazada E-Services Philippines Inc and Shopee Philippines Inc. in a bid to track down drug traffickers using online services.
In a statement, PDEA noted “the MOU with Lazada and Shopee, two household names for e-commerce in the Philippines, is the latest measure implemented by PDEA in ensuring that drug traffickers will not be able to take advantage of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) and linked courier services.
In forging the agreement, PDEA stressed that it has “long seen the vulnerability of the country’s mail and parcel system to smuggling contraband such as illegal drugs.’’
The agency had successfully conducted more than 100 mail and parcel interdiction operations and seized millions of pesos worth of illegal drugs from 2013 to 2017.
“The popularity of E-commerce – the buying and selling of goods and services through internet-based platforms further boosted the demand for courier services,’’ PDEA emphasized.
In August 2020, PDEA reported that 12 kilograms of shabu worth P81.6 million was seized in a courier service's regional headquarters in Mandaue City, Cebu as “large seizures of illegal drugs such as this, and the admission of several arrested suspects to using delivery apps to transport illegal drugs reinforced PDEA’s resolve to prevent the abuse of E-commerce platforms and courier services by drug traffickers.’’
To rapidly marshall the cooperation of E-commerce companies and courier services, PDEA signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Lalamove Philippines Inc. and Lala App Philippines Inc in November 24, 2020.
A similar agreement was forged with courier service J&T Express in December 2020 and another MOA was signed with Wallstreet Courier Services Incorporated-popularly known as Ninja Van- in June 2021. (Chito A. Chavez)