PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino on Tuesday welcomed the partnership with Japan’s National Police Agency to fight illegal drugs.
The PDEA chief warmly welcomed the arrival of the members of a Japanese delegation who paid a courtesy visit to PDEA and its officials, as the two agencies agreed to promote closer interaction and stronger bilateral cooperation against illegal drug trafficking.
“Their visit to the PDEA national headquarters in Quezon City served as an avenue to showcase PDEA’s accomplishments, operational capabilities and facilities for them to have a better understanding of our organization and the current drug trends affecting the national drug situation in the country,” Aquino said.
He added that the meeting was an excellent opportunity to open lines of communication, share operational experiences and knowledge about international drug syndicates engaged in drug trafficking and the best possible practices, he added.
According to Aquino, the diplomatic cooperation and exchange of information relative to drug trafficking between PDEA and Japan dates back 11 years ago with the signing of a record of discussion between the agency and the Japan Coast Guard on Oct. 3, 2006.
“Since the signing of the record of discussion, capability enhancement trainings involving counter-narcotic operations, drug enforcement conferences and seminars, and bilateral meetings between the two organizations were successfully carried out,” he noted.