PDEA hits record-high drug ops since it became 'sole' agency for drug war

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency posted a record high of 1,341 operations from the period of October 10 to November 10, one month after President Rodrigo Duterte declared it as the “sole agency” in charge of the war on drugs.

A total of 404 drug pushers and users were arrested and P53.83 million worth of illegal drugs were seized from these operations, spokesperson Derrick Carreon quoted PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino as saying. 

The agency attributed the record-high achievement on the shift in the agency’s operational thrusts to reduce the number of high-value targets through the conduct of high-impact and quality counter-drug operations.

“This is 80.5 percent more than the operations conducted the previous month. As a result, a 14.4 percent increase in the number of arrested drug personalities was recorded,” Aquino said.

Records show that the total value of dangerous drugs and controlled precursors and essential chemicals seized from October 10 to November 10 is a whooping 233.3 percent hike from the preceding month.

“Out of the seized drug evidence, 6.16 kilograms are methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, with an estimated street value of P30.8 million, as compared to the shabu seizure of 1.87 kilograms worth P9,350,000, confiscated last month, an increase of 229.4 percent,” Aquino added.

Among the noteworthy operations include:

• Oct. 25, 2017 buy-bust operation led by agents of the PDEA-Regional Office IV-A in Taguig City which resulted to the arrest of big-time drug pusher Dhan Usman Saban and confiscation of P1 million worth of shabu
• Oct. 27, 2017 raid conducted by the PDEA-Regional Office IV-A in Parañaque City which led to the arrest of an actor and two others.
• Nov. 2, 2017 separate raids led by the PDEA-Special Enforcement Service in Tivoli Garden Residences in Mandaluyong City and I-Suites Hotel, Cubao which resulted to the arrest of seven drug personalities and seizure of shabu, ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana.
• Nov. 4, 2017 entrapment operation conducted by the PDEA-Regional Office V by which agents arrested four suspects and seized of P6 million worth of shabu in Naga City
• Nov. 6, 2017 raids which resulted to the arrest of Yuk Lai Yu, a detained drug queen and her daughter-cohort during greyhound operations in the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), Mandaluyong City and a lawful search in San Miguel, Manila.
• Nov. 8, 2017 buy-bust operation conducted by joint operatives of the PDEA-Regional Office IV-A and PDEA Regional Office V in Kawit, Cavite which led to the seizure of P6 million worth of shabu.

“Failure is never an option when we took upon the sole authority in bringing order to country’s anti-drug campaign. We may be undermanned, underequipped and underfunded, but we continually strive to achieve more than what is expected,” Aquino said.