The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday that it has revised the rules governing its anti-illegal drugs task force to streamline operations and relieve caseload congestion.
Justice Undersecretary Ian Dato revealed during a press briefing that Department Order No. 161, which originally established the task force, was updated following recommendations from Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon.
”There was a recommendation from Prosec General Fadullon that this DO necessitated an amendment or updating because of drug cases and up with the task force to address unintended consequences which resulted in congestion in the task force,” Dato said.
Under the updated guidelines, local prosecution offices will assume responsibility for routine and minor drug offenses, allowing the specialized task force to concentrate on syndicate-level crimes and large-scale operations.
Moving forward, the task force will only retain jurisdiction under specific conditions:
- Large-scale drug volume: Cases involving at least 10 kilograms of illegal drugs within Metro Manila, or 15 kilograms in other regions.
- Public officials: Incidents where the respondent is a government official or a law enforcement officer.
- Foreign nationals: Offenses involving foreign citizens intercepted at airports or seaports.
- Severe offenses: Complex cases involving clandestine drug laboratories or the obstruction of drug-related justice.
”Only those instances will the task force on anti-illegal drugs exercise jurisdiction,” Dato added.
The strategic shift aims to maximize efficiency across both local and national prosecution offices while ensuring high-profile cases receive dedicated attention.
The revision “elevates the task force to an elite task force that will only go after syndicate-level drug offenders, and everything else will be delegated to local prosecution offices who know their localities best,” Dato explained.