The Manila Times

PDEA sacks regional chief

- BY ROY NARRA WITH A REPORT FROM EUGENE Y. ADIONG

THE regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcemen­t Agency ( PDEA)- intelligen­ce reports linked him to numerous unlawful arrests and extortion activities.

PDEA Director General Aaron arrests and extortion activities in the Aquino ordered Calabarzon Reprovince­s of Batangas and Cavite,” gional Director Archie Grande, reAquino said in a statement. lieved together with 61 personnel Aquino said that PDEA does not is sue IDs to non-organic personnel like

Calabarzon region is composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, The ID is strictly for those performing Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.

Reports said they were involved high-value target drug personalit­y. in issuing PDEA regionaliz­ed idenTwo weeks ago, Jhay-R Repana, suspect in a shooting incident assets and informatio­n illegally. in Parañaque City, was arrested

“They were discharged from their after he falsely claimed that he duties after intelligen­ce reports is a PDEA agent. linking them to a series of unlawful Authoritie­s seized a sachet of shabu, drug parapherna­lia and a

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ron that he supports Aquino’s action.

“If the PNP has an internal cleansing program, PDEA should also have one. I support Aquino’s action,” he said.

The PNP and PDEA are the two agencies leading the administra­tion’s war against illegal drugs.

New drug group

As this developed, Negros Occidental said a new drug group is now operating in the province after about 30 of its members were arrested and 11 surrendere­d through Oplan Tokhang and one remains at large.

Supt. Glenn Provido, NOCCPO deputy provincial director for operations, said the new drug group is operating in the southern Negros area.

He admitted that the province is a transhipme­nt point of illegal drugs as “there are many drug users in the island.”

“The supply in the province comes from Metro Manila, some parts of the Visayas and also Mindanao. The prices of the illegal drugs depend on where it is sourced,” Provido added.

He said about 1,189 drug suspects in the province have surrendere­d since December last year bringing the number of surrendere­rs to 11,000 since July 2016

NOCCPO records show some 693 suspects are in the watchlist and 1,110 have been rehabilita­ted while a total of 3.33 kilos of shabu were seized in the operations.

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