Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will soon join elements of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in conducting operations against illegal drugs on coastal waters.

PDEA and PCH have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country.

The three agencies will train together in interdiction, boarding and inspection of sea vessels suspected of carrying illegal drugs.

Investigators tagged China and Taiwan as the sources of the big haul of shabu reported recently by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The MoA was described by PDEA chief Aaron Aquino as a “milestone” in government efforts to constrict the supply of illegal drugs in the country.

He said “fake” and adulterated shabu are being sold on the streets because of tight supply brought about by their interdiction from abroad and the dismantling of local drug laboratories.

“Shabu is becoming scarce. Pushers are now resorting to using extenders such as crushed “tawas” (alum), bathroom deodorizer, crystal candies and other chemical substances in shabu preparation,” added Aquino.

“PDEA is not discounting the possibility that there is also a proliferation of adulterated cocaine, ecstasy and other psychoactive substances mixed with dangerous chemicals being sold in the streets,” said the PDEA chief.

On July 10, a raid on a house doubling as a drug den in Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City resulted to the seizure of shabu mixed with Oxalic acid.

Oxalic acid is a cleaning and bleaching agent to remove rusts and stains. It has killed a number of people through kidney failure and gastrointestinal disorders.

It gained prominence following the death of two people after they drank milk tea mixed with the cleaner in Blumentritt, Manila on April 9, 2015.