THE Police Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas conducted a successful weeklong anti-drug operation from April 20 to 26, 2024, resulting in the confiscation of P8.8 million worth of illegal drugs and the apprehension of 42 individuals involved in drug trafficking.
The weeklong effort yielded a total of 1,292 grams of suspected shabu with a drug price of P8,785,600 and five grams of marijuana valued at P600.
Authorities conducted 36 separate operations across the region, leading to the arrests.
Among the apprehended individuals, seven were classified as high-value targets, while the remaining 35 were identified as street-level drug pushers.
The confiscated illegal drugs originated from various provinces within the PRO-Western Visayas jurisdiction.
Here's the arranged list from highest to lowest amount of suspected shabu seized:
1. Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (Rpdeu): 565 grams (P3,842,000) of suspected shabu
2. Iloilo Police Provincial Office (Ippo): 293 grams (P1,992,400) of suspected shabu
3. Iloilo City Police Office (Icpo): 219 grams (P1,489,200) of suspected shabu
4. Bacolod City Police Office (Bcpo): 138 grams (P938,400) of suspected shabu
5. Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Noppo): 24 grams (P163,192) of suspected shabu
6. Guimaras Police Provincial Office (Gppo): 20 grams (136,000) of suspected shabu
7. Antique Police Provincial Office (Appo): 20 grams (136,000) of suspected shabu
8. Capiz Police Provincial Office (Cppo): 13 grams (P88,400) of suspected shabu and 5 grams (P500) of marijuana
The most significant seizure occurred on April 23 in Arevalo District, Iloilo City, where authorities apprehended two high-value targets identified only as alias Mico and alias Ryan.
A combined total of approximately 390 grams of suspected shabu was confiscated from the two individuals.
Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky, regional director of the PRO-Western Visayas, commended the operatives involved in the successful operations. He expressed his appreciation for their dedication and tireless efforts in combating illegal drugs in the region.
"I truly appreciate your commitment and sacrifices in performing your job well. I urge you to maintain that energy towards your work and in our quest for a drug-free region. Remember that as long as we work together, we can achieve great things," Wanky said.
24-hour anti-drug operation
Seven different police-initiated activities resulted in this remarkable achievement between 6 a.m. on April 25 and 5:59 a.m. on April 26.
Eight drug dealers were taken into custody as a result of the activities.
PRO-Western Visayas was able to seize around 374.5 grams of suspected shabu, worth a total drug price of P2,546,600.
Among those arrested were three classified as high-value targets and five as street-level individuals.
The 24-hour operations netted suspected shabu and apprehended the following individuals:
*Alias Aying of Janiauy, Iloilo, was arrested at 5:35 a.m. on April 25 with approximately 8 grams of suspected shabu recovered.
* Alias Jeck of President Roxas, Capiz, apprehended at 6:31 a.m. with about 4 grams confiscated.
* Alias Arnold of Buenavista, Guimaras, was arrested with around 15.5 grams seized.
* Alias Nog-nog of Dumagas, Iloilo, apprehended with 62 grams recovered.
* Alias Jo and Chad of Manduriao and Molo, Iloilo City, respectively. Confiscated illegal drugs from them weighed approximately 30 and 55 grams, respectively.
* Alias Jason and Aris of Estancia, Iloilo, yielded the biggest haul, with approximately 200 grams of suspected shabu recovered.
Wanky, commended all the personnel involved and their commanders for their unwavering commitment to the anti-illegal drug campaign.
This successful operation highlights PRO-Western Visayas' continuous efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the proliferation of illegal drugs in Western Visayas. (Leo Solinap/SunStar Philippines)