House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan called on the Department of Justice to intensify its efforts in identifying and prosecuting the masterminds behind the P2.7-billion shabu shipment from Karachi, Pakistan, which was intercepted in Manila in January.
“We urge the DOJ to strengthen its pursuit of the real masterminds behind this recent drug smuggling operation, as well as all previous shabu consignments that have entered through the Port of Manila,” Libanan said in a statement on Tuesday.
Libanan said the continued smuggling of shabu through the Port of Manila indicates the key figures behind these operations remain at large.
“The scale and complexity of these drug operations suggest that high-level individuals are orchestrating these illicit activities, profiting from the suffering of communities and posing a grave threat to public safety,” he said.
Libanan warned that the real perpetrators remain hidden, operating with impunity.
“These individuals must be identified, exposed, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
A lawyer by profession, Libanan previously served as chairperson of the House committee on justice.