Smile city snort average: 33 grams a day

BACOLOD CITY – Metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu – the poor man’s cocaine – is being sniffed at a rate of 33 grams per day or equivalent to at least P100,000 per day if calculated at P3,500 a gram, according to the January 2019 estimate of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Police chief, Col. Henry Biñas, told DNX a minimum of one kilo of shabu enters the city a month, most of which is consumed by drug users in the city.

“It could go higher,” he added as demand fluctuates “depending on the season” like when it goes up leading to major fiestas.

Biñas clarified, however, that consumption has gone down significantly here since the Duterte took over.

He did not cite comparative data, however.