During American rule, control in the import of narcotic drugs, classified alongside with merchandises, was particularly strict. Under existing laws at the time, the import of cocaine, opium, or its derivatives, which include, among others, the morphine and heroin, except when used for medicinal and scientific purposes, require authority from the government.
Still, reports of illicit drug traffic found their way in the records of the Insular Collector of Customs. In particular, opium, mostly originating from China, arrived in the islands in various forms of packaging creatively made or designed to deceive port inspectors. Placing opium in tins was the most preferred way of hiding the illicit drug.
Opium was brought to the country under differently labeled tin cans. The 1930 report of the Bureau of Narcotics, an agency under the US Treasury Department, identified the opium brands as 555, Crown, Beekee, Gold Coin, Three Goats, and Eagle, with Lion as the most popular.
Most of the confiscated opium was transshipped via piers or through individuals known today as ‘drug couriers.’
The same report said 604 persons were arrested due to opium in 1930, 448 of them were Chinese and 156 classified as “natives.” As a result, 360 persons, including 16 deportations, were convicted of illegal trafficking of drugs. This is on top of the 335 pending cases, 99 acquittals, 165 dismissals, and 12 compromised.
In the 1931 government report, Davao, presumably for the first time, officially showed up in anti-narcotics accounts:
“Customs officers, in searching the S.S. Bohol of the Compañia Maritima [a Filipino shipping firm] at Zamboanga, on February 25, 1931, found in the crews’ quarters 18 one-tael [37.7994 grams] tins of smoking opium. The vessel had just arrived at Zamboanga, coming from Davao. The vessel left Manila on February 17, 1931, and had visited the ports of Cebu and Davao. Each tin bore the word ‘Tonggee’ and Chinese characters. This opium is known as ‘Gold Coin’ brand, a good grade of smoking opium. It was not possible to determine who was responsible for this attempted unlawful shipment. The drugs were confiscated.”
Interestingly, the customs police did not only seize opium in form of tablets, solutions, and pills, they also confiscated paraphernalia such as pipes, pipe heads, and syringes. Many of the drugs were also discovered inside bottles and packages.
Official records in 1931 showed the convictions of 316 individuals, including nine deportations; 88 acquittals, 82 dismissals, nine cases compromised, and 434 cases reported, excluding the 208 suits pending before the courts.
During the Commonwealth period, Davao once again surfaced in a document titled Summary of Illicit Transactions and Seizures, which was sent to the Secretariat of the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations. It covered the period from April 1 to June 30, 1940.
As indicated, it was the US that collated the accounts. In US Reports No. 940, it disclosed that on June 26, 1939, the authorities seized two one-tael tins, each weighing 38 grams, in Davao City from Tranquilino Javier, a train passenger who just arrived in Iligan City. The suspect said the consignor of the opium was a certain Andres Martinez of Iligan City and the recipient was a certain Vicente Martinez of Davao. The appropriate case was filed in court.
In Traffic in Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs, issued in 1939 by the Depart of Public Instruction, certain discrepancies in details, especially the place of arrest, was evident. Subtitled The Case of Tranquilino Javier, the report, in toto, stated:
“This case of opium smuggling which was discovered accidentally by the Chief of Police, was recorded in Midsayap, Cotabato. On June 24, 1939, Tranquilino Javier, a chauffeur by occupation, was arrested in Midsayap, Cotabato, for the crime of homicide through reckless imprudence committed at about 5 p. m. of the same day. While investigating the case, the Chief of Police ordered the removal of a box of mangoes from the car driven by Javier to his office with the idea of using the car to and from the scene of the crime.
“In the morning of June 26, 1939, a provincial revenue agent with another chauffeur asked permission to use the car to take him to Davao City. This request was granted, but before starting, Tranquilino Javier informed the Chief of Police that he wanted to see the box of mangoes which he thought was still in the car. The Chief of Police, suspicious of the movements of Javier, ordered the latter to open the box in his presence.
“Thereupon, he found besides the forty ripe mangoes, a small bottle of hair pomade and a folded issue of the Free Press of June 17, 1939, containing another package which upon further investigation was found to contain two small tins of opium, ‘Lion Brand,’ and a box of needles. Javier claimed that the two tins of opium were entrusted to him by one Andres Martinez. The latter, however, claimed to know nothing about the opium. A complaint for illegal possession of opium was filed against Tranquilino Javier. The case is still pending.”
In the post-war period, illicit drug traffic took the form of heroin and morphine as opium derivatives. Later, hashish, marijuana, barbiturates, lab-produced meths, and drugs collectively known as ‘celebrity drugs,’ started to make headlines. According to official accounts, drug dependents and addicts in the Philippines have not hit the two million mark.
