The newly-launched Drug Enforcement Group (DEG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) will target high-value drug personalities.

“Our mission in Drug Enforcement Group is high-value target with high impact, financiers, manufacturers, distributors, traffickers including all the protectors,” said Senior Superintendent Graciano Mijares, director of the Drug Enforcement Group, in a press briefing Friday.

“That is our mandate in DEG. The rest at the regional level going down. They will do the tokhang reloaded portion,” Mijares added.

He said they are also organizing regional drug enforcement units they can tap for big operations involving high-value targets.

“At the regional level, we are also organizing although it’s not directly under the office of DEG but we have coordinative relationship,” Mijares said.

“So within the level of the region we also organize regional police drug enforcement units down to the police station level so we can tap them, or use them and we can also assist them in big operations involving high value targets,” he added.

Mijares said they have a list of high-value drug personalities but he noted that they revalidating their data.

“As to high value targets we already have that, it has been existing and then for the past one month where we have a hiatus what we do now is revalidation with other intelligence communities,” he said.

Mijares said their goal is establishing DEG offices in Luzon, especially central Luzon and Calabarzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Mijares said the DEG is set to recruit almost 477 policemen to work for their anti?illegal drug operation.

He also admitted recruitment is one of the challenges they are facing as they must screen all of their policemen. “We cannot be in a hurry. We may select personnel who are not deserving to be there. We cannot give a definite timeframe,” said Mijares.

But Mijares said they have been receiving reports that supply of illegal drugs is increasing. “One of the indicators is the price of illegal drugs is now P1,500. We were P5,000 before,” he said.

Mijares said they recruited a total of 54 policemen and listed about 60 applicants who signify their intention to join the group.

“I think as of this morning we have more or less 60 including police commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers who have signified their intention to join us,” he said.

Unlike before when policemen can conduct anti-drug operations, now “only those personnel who are assigned with the different drug enforcement units (DEUs) and DEG are the only ones who are authorized to conduct an operation.”

He explained that operatives will have to coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Robina Asido/DMS