Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Dionisio Santiago said on Saturday he expects significant shifts in the illicit drug trade during the start of the school and rainy seasons.

“It is anticipated that there will be a lull in drug smuggling activities due to unfavorable weather conditions, which will make it critical for sea transport,” he said in a statement.

“It is foreseeable that drug syndicates will resort to localized manufacturing operations, specifically kitchen-type laboratories to ensure a steady, but less detectable production of illegal drugs, requiring minimal space and lesser manpower. These will likely be set-up in urban areas where most of the drug consumers are located,” Santiago said.

Only recently, he cited that police operatives dismantled a kitchen-type shabu laboratory in Binondo, Manila which validated the PDEA chief’s assessment that kitchen-type laboratories have started to pop up to supplement smuggled drug supply meant for local consumption.

On the other hand, marijuana trade is also seen to be affected by the change of seasons since cultivation will be critical due to threats of landslides in the mountains owing to the expected rainfall.

“Cultivators will most likely sell stockpiled marijuana harvested during the summer season to avoid spoiling due to moisture as a result of the rainy season,” the PDEA chief said.

Santiago also expressed concerns that with the tuition fee increase this year, some parents might resort to the drug trade in order to pay for the school costs.

“It is expected that some individuals will look for all possible means, even illegal, just to earn quick and comparatively huge amount of money to finance the school requirements of their children,” Santiago said.

“Given this dilemma, it is expected that more personalities will be involved in drug peddling,” he said.

The PDEA chief also pointed out that “there is also a high probability that drug syndicates will be targeting schools as one of their marketable places, adding students to their clientele, or even recruiting and employing them as runners or couriers.”

Meanwhile, two suspected drug pushers were arrested in separate buy-bust operations conducted in Quezon City on Friday.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) identified the two suspects as Seda Nacerin, 38, and John Allen Merino, 24, both residents of Quezon City.

Arresting policemen also seized from the suspects two transparent plastic sachets containing shabu, each worth P500.

Investigator SPO1 Jeffrey Flores said Nacerin was arrested by operatives of the QCPD’s District Anti-Illegal Drugs Operations Task Group (DAID-SOTG) at around 10 a.m. Friday in her neighborhood along Mojaydan St., Barangay Culiat, Tandang Sora.

Flores said the illegal drugs trade has been rampant in the area of Mojaydan Street.

After a week-long surveillance, Flores said the operatives were able to confirm that Nacerin was among those engaged in selling illegal drugs in her neighborhood, prompting the police to conduct an operation against her.

Also Friday night, the QCPD’s Station 10 also conducted its own buy-bust operation.

The Station Anti-Illegal Drugs (SAID) unit was able to arrest Merino at around 10:30 p.m. after he was caught selling shabu in front of a convenience store at the corner of Quezon Avenue and Roces Avenue in Barangay Paligsahan. (With reports from trainees Marielle Ventura and Alyssa Silverio)