MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is renewing its call for the reimposition of the death penalty for large-scale drug traffickers.

PDEA spokesman Derrick Arnold Carreon said the absence of stricter laws is the reason why the drug problem persists despite the government’s intensified campaign.

“It has something to do with the gap in our laws where the death penalty is suspended,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN on Friday.

Carreon’s appeal came on the heels of seizure of large quantities of narcotics, including P24-million worth of ecstasy tablets and P4.3-billion worth of shabu.

At least 4,410 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed in law enforcement operations since President Duterte took office in July 2016.

Carreon said another problem is the difficulty in securing all the country’s ports, as the Philippines is an archipelago.

There are also indications that some drug addicts are shifting to more expensive party drugs like cocaine, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said.

Albayalde cited the recovery of 27 kilos of cocaine in the shores of Camarines Sur last April and the recent seizure of P24 million worth of ecstasy tablets in Pasay City last week as indications of shifting preferences among drug users.

“Hindi remote na talagang marami nagshi-shift sa cocaine lalo na yung may pera dito (It is not a remote possibility that many are shifting to cocaine, especially those who have money),” he added.

According to Carreon, a gram of shabu could be sold for P3,000 while cocaine can be bought for at least P5,000 per gram and ecstasy for P1,300 each. Albayalde urged drug users to stop taking illegal drugs before it is too late. “Nakakasira ng utak ang mga drugs na yan (Drugs destroy brains),” he said.