Over P100 million shabu seized in Central Visayas
Over P100 million worth of illegal drugs were confiscated in a "series of highly impactful operations" against illegal drugs conducted last weekend.
During the separate operations conducted, around 14.7 kilos of suspected shabu were seized in different areas in Central Visayas.
Ten kilos of these illegal drugs amounting to P68 million were nabbed in a joint buybust operation conducted by the members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit7 (RPDEU-7), PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG), Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 (PDEA-7) at Ludo Memorial Park in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City on Saturday, February 10 at 8:00 p.m.
In another operation conducted by the Cebu City Police Office's City Intelligence Unit (CIU) Saturday night in Guadalupe, Cebu City, around one kilogram of suspected shabu was also seized, and another kilogram was confiscated in an operation conducted in Mandaue City.
Meanwhile, 600 grams were also confiscated in Talisay City, and the rest were confiscated in different areas of Central Visayas.
"Inyong makita 100 million in 3 days. This is a very impactful operation. You can just imagine how many lives we were able to save because of this bulk of shabu that were confiscated," Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-7 said.
Pelare cited that the operations last weekend were part of their comprehensive campaign against illegal drugs and that they are investigating to determine where the seized illegal narcotics were coming from and where they are intended for.
Pelare, however, explained that the drug supply in Central Visayas was coming from Luzon and was brought to the region through the entry points on the east and west coasts of the region, specifically in Samar and Masbate.
The police official assured that the law-enforcement agencies won’t stop their operation, under the leadership and directive of the regional director of the PRO-7, Police Brigadier General Anthony Aberin, to conduct aggressive and intelligence-driven operations until the last drug trafficker is apprehended.
“While we recognize nga naa pa gyu’y challenge sa shabu diri sa Central Visayas, ang ato’ng commitment under the leadership of Police Brigadier
General Anthony Aberin, down to the last trafficker, we are going to conduct operations and arrest these people so that eventually ang supply nga moabot sa Central Visayas maundang,” he stated.
“And there is a new instruction by our regional director, kini ang hingusgan ang demand reduction strategy pinaagi sa barangay drug clearing operations,” he added.
Further, Pelare cited that the PRO-7 will launch a comprehensive, balanced strategy between supply reduction and demand reduction of illegal drugs in CentralVisayas to eradicate the drug problem in the region.
Currently, the authorities are confronting and monitoring at least one or two organized drug groups that are currently bringing drug supplies to CentralVisayas, Pelare said.
“Katong mga previous nga drug groups were already dismantled because of our relentless operations. Ang among gi-target karon kini nalang usa or duha labing taas nga mga organized drug groups who are bringing in supply here in Central Visayas,” said Pelare.
The PRO-7 spokesperson also urged the public to coordinate with the police should they notice an illegal drug transaction or activity in their community.
Further, he stated that the series of operations last weekend was in line with the Secretary of Interior and Local Government (SILG), Attorney Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos' Buhay ay Ingatan, Droga'y Ayawan (BIDA) program, and the Five Focused Agenda of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Also over the weekend, the PDEA-Negros Oriental, together with the PDEG, nabbed a high-value target at sitio Karsadang-Daan, Barangay San Isidro, Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, in a buy-bust operation and apprehended 55 grams of shabu on Sunday, February 11 at 11:31 a.m.
Confiscated from Nikko Carlo Ferrer, 33, a welder and a resident of Barangay 2, Bais City during the operation were three packs of suspected shabu weighing around 55 grams with an estimated average market value of P374,000, buybust money, one cellular phone, and a motorcycle.
Authorities revealed that the operation was conducted after they received information from a confidential informant. A police investigation revealed that the suspect could allegedly dispose of 100 to 200 grams of shabu weekly and operate in the cities of Tanjay and Bais.