‘Shabu’ – A Cross-Continental Problem

‘Shabu’ – A Cross-Continental Problem

By Gemma Rains

According to reports, over 90% of the neighbourhoods in Manila are flooded with ‘Shabu’ – a Filipino name for crystal meth. It’s a huge problem in the Philippines, where it’s ripping swathes through entire communities, and swiftly becoming a major moneyspinner for expanding cartels. It’s considered a worrying matter in Canada, too, where the crystal meth problem has been growing for some time. Is the Canadian Filipino community particularly vulnerable to the meth problem? And are there cross-continental connections between the ‘shabu’ trade in the Philippines, and the meth trade in Canada?

Crystal Meth

Crystal methamphetamine is (as the name suggests) a crystalline substance which can be ingested in a variety of ways. It can be snorted, swallowed, smoked, or injected. It gives an incredible ‘rush’ by essentially blitzing the brain. The user will become extremely confident, perhaps euphoric. They may also become hyperactive, lose their appetite, and behave in an extremely erratic manner. It’s fun, at first, but meth or ‘Shabu’ starts turning nasty from the very first moment. It’s powerfully habit-forming – frequently causing full-blown addiction from the first use. Although there are ways to get clean from the substance, it’s an incredibly difficult process. Meth devours the body and brain, causing extreme dependency at the same time as it systematically destroys tissues. Meth use is known to cause psychosis, among other things, and rarely ends well for the user. Far, far too many people die in the grip of meth addiction, and still more contribute to the crime sprees which invariably go hand in hand with a meth problem.

Shabu

The vast majority of drug users in the Philippines choose to use Shabu. It’s easily obtained and, once hooked, near impossible to resist. It first entered the Philippines in the 1980s, where it began doing the rounds of urban subcultures before expanding its deadly remit wider and wider. Nowadays, it can be found almost everywhere, ravaging almost every demographic in every part of the nation. Furthermore, according to a UN report, the Philippines (in tandem with Burma and China) have produced the majority of the world’s methamphetamine over the last decade or so. Penalties for possessing the drug are very high – life imprisonment or death – but this seems not to be deterring the thousands and thousands of shabu users. Nor is it stopping the greedy cartels from moving in on this fertile territory.

Meth In Canada

In Canada, meanwhile, crystal meth use remains an issue of serious and growing concern. While the Canadian Filipino community does not appear to be at any more risk than any other group of developing problems with the drug, its increasingly ubiquitous presence here is a worrying matter for everyone. Crystal meth has replaced crack cocaine as the street drug of choice in many areas, and if the authorities cannot put a swift stop to it, it looks set to continue its worrying rise. Though meth (when trafficked and not home-made) in Canada is thought generally to come over land – up from the USA – there is evidence that some cartels may be experimenting with trafficking between Canada and the Philippines. The RCMP have been on the lookout for meth heading to and coming in from the Philippines for some time now. While Chinese trafficking gangs tend to hold sway in the Philippines, it seems that the growing meth market in the USA and Canada is causing a good deal of interest from burgeoning North American trafficking gangs.

Canadian Cartels

Back in 2014, four Canadian backpackers were arrested in the Philippines, and accused of smuggling Shabu via Mexico. They were evidently attempting to undercut Chinese cartel dealers in the country, which could potentially have launched a bloody drugs war. Two of the young arrested Canadians were of Filipino origin, raising concerns for Canadian Filipino parents. Certainly the gang’s connections with Mexican cartels present a worrying Mexico-Canada-Philippines triangle. Mexican cartels are extremely wealthy, and Canadians make excellent drug mules. If Mexico wishes to muscle in on the shabu trade in the Philippines, this may not be the only time that it chooses to do so via Canada. If so, the Filipino community must watch out. With their existing links to the Philippines, they would present prime targets for eager traffickers.