Manila: The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a revision of rules regarding its task force on illegal drugs, limiting its focus to larger cases.

According to Philippines News Agency, the changes were introduced following a recommendation from Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, who noted that previous guidelines led to congestion within the task force. Under the revised Department Order (DO) 161, only high-profile cases involving significant quantities of narcotics or other specific criteria will fall under the task force's jurisdiction.

Undersecretary Ian Dato clarified that small illegal drug cases will now be managed by local prosecutors. The task force will concentrate on cases involving at least 10 kilograms of drugs within Metro Manila and 15 kilograms elsewhere. Additional criteria include cases involving public officers, law enforcement agents, foreigners intercepted at ports, and serious drug-related crimes such as clandestine laboratories.

Dato emphasized that these revisions aim to elevate the task force to handle only syndicate-level offenders, allowing local prosecution offices to focus on smaller cases within their communities.