P39 million in drugs seized during Holy Week in CV

CEBU, Philippines — Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) operations during Holy Week resulted in the confiscation of at least 5.7 kilos of illegal drugs worth ?39 million and the arrest of 1,296 suspects of various crimes from March 24 to 31, respectively.

Of the over a thousand suspects, 240 of them were arrested for illegal drugs, 21 were considered most wanted individuals who were apprehended on court-issued warrants of arrest, and 169 were ordinary wanted persons.

Meanwhile, police also conducted operations against loose firearms and Oplan Katok, which resulted in the recovery of 203 unregistered firearms, seven explosives, and 162 rounds of ammunition. They also arrested 39 individuals from the said operations.

The PRO-7 has also previously reported the arrest of 827 suspects involved in illegal gambling.

In a press statement, PRO-7 said that the confiscation of illegal drugs and the arrest of the suspects were an indication of the authorities' strategic campaign against all forms of criminality.

“The arrest of 1,296 suspects and the confiscation of the huge volume of illegal drugs are the results of the strong, strategic, and consistent partnership with other law enforcement agencies and the community. Our aim is crystal clear: Make Central Visayas a haven for peace and security," the statement read.

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old high-value individual was arrested with 60 grams of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation yesterday at around 12:20 a.m. along E. Sabellano Street, Barangay Quiot, Cebu City.

After placing the suspect under surveillance for a week, Station Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) personnel of Labangon Police Station launched a buy-bust operation, which led to the arrest of Junros Juezan Fernandez, alias "EJ", a resident of Belgium Street, Barangay Suba, Cebu City.

Police said the suspect sourced his drugs from a contact inside the city jail and could allegedly dispose of 100 to 200 grams of drugs per week in Barangays Quiot, Pardo, and Punta Princesa.

Recovered from the operation were 60 grams of shabu worth ?408,000, a genuine ?1,000 bill used as buy-bust money, ?9,000 boodle money, and a black pouch.

He is currently detained at the said station, while a case against him is still being processed. — (FREEMAN)