MORE than P100 million worth of illegal drugs were seized and 652 crime suspects were arrested by police in Central Visayas in three days, or from February 8 to 10, 2024.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO 7) Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin, said the police confiscated 14,796.46 grams of substance believed to be shabu worth P110,615,928 and 60 grams of marijuana worth P7,200.
The operations led to the arrest of 214 drug personalities.
Pelare said the operations prompted Aberin to order a deeper investigation to identify the source of the illegal drugs and where they should be distributed in Central Visayas.
The biggest haul was yielded during the operation conducted by personnel of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 7 along with the Regional Intelligence Division.
They seized 10 kilos of shabu worth P68 million from the suspect identified as Elmer Saguran, alias Budok, on A. Soriano Avenue, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, inside the Ludo Memorial Park.
The shabu was placed in a Chinese tea bag, which police said indicated that it came from Manila.
More than a kilo of shabu was also seized by the Cebu City Police Office, another one kilo each in Mandaue and Talisay, while the other drugs were seized in different operations by provincial police offices in the region.
Pelare said the 10 kilos of shabu seized by RPDEU personnel came following the seizure of 10 kilos of the substance in December 2023 from a condominium in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City wherein the suspect admitted that the illegal drugs came from Manila.
He said the PRO 7 has been working to prevent the spread of illegal drugs in the region considering that a number of lives, especially of the youth, will be destroyed because of it.
The police vowed to strengthen their anti-illegal drugs campaign, with Aberin directing personnel to arrest all drug personalities.
"While we recognize nga naa pa gyuy challenge sa shabu diri sa Central Visayas, ang atong commitment under the leadership of Police Brigadier General Anthony Aberin is down to the last trafficker, we are going to conduct operation, arrest these people so that eventually, ang supply nga maabot sa Central Visayas maundang," said Pelare.
Aside from the seizure of illegal drugs and arrest of 214 illegal drug suspects, the PRO 7 personnel also nabbed 257 people in 140 operations against illegal gambling.
At least 27 most wanted persons and 130 other wanted personalities were also arrested for different crimes.
In the campaign against loose firearms, the PRO 7 seized 144 unlicensed firearms and arrested 24 people who are now facing charges in court. (AYB/LMY)