1,336 nabbed in Laguna anti-crime ops
A TOTAL of 1,336 “lawbreakers” in Laguna, 338 of them involved in illegal drug trafficking activities were hauled to jail by the local police from September 1 to 30, the Journal Group learned on Monday.
Laguna Police Provincial Office (LPPO) Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Colonel Randy G. Silvio said that confiscated from the possession of the 338 drug suspects were nearly 177 grams of shabu and some 3.5 kilograms of dried marijuana leaves with a total market value of P5.05 million.
One of those arrested with the alias “Jhem Bayot”, has been considered a “high-value individual” (HVI) in the region. The suspect yielded some 2,500 grams of dried cannabis during a sting.
He added that all 177 arrested suspects are now facing charges for selling and possessing prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
In a report to Police Regional Office 4-A (PRO4A) Director Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., the official said that their 30-day anti-criminality operations likewise resulted in the arrest of 246 wanted persons, 90 of them among the “most wanted persons” or MWPs in the Calabarzon (Cavite/Laguna/Batangas/Rizal/Quezon) region.
Silvio said that 15 of those arrested were listed as regional level MWPs, ten are provincial MWPs, 65 are city/municipal MWPs, and 156 were other wanted persons.
The official said that a total of 15 violators of RA 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013) were also arrested by his men last month. Confiscated from the 15 were 18 assorted illegal firearms.
At the same time, he said that their stepped-up campaign against all forms of illegal gambling in the province led to the arrest of 737 persons and the recovery of P984,440 in cash bets.
Charges for violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 1602 have been filed against the accused, he said.
The anti-crime accomplishments were made by the Laguna Police amid a directive from Nartatez and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. to further intensify the campaign against all forms of criminality in the province and the rest of the Calabarzon region to make it safer for local residents, tourists and investors 24/7.
