THE Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership has commended the PNP Drug Enforcement Group headed by Brigadier General Randy Q. Peralta for its series of major anti-narcotics operations last week which resulted in the seizure of over P624 million worth of shabu and marijuana amid an order from President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. for the police force to continue its war on drugs in full observance of the rule of law.

The PNP-DEG made those accomplishments amid an instruction from PNP Officer-in-Charge, Lieutenant. Gen. Vicente D. Danao Jr. for all 17 Police Regional Offices and the different PNP national operating units to further intensify their war on drugs with the end in view of scoring more convictions while ensuring that the rule of law will always be followed at all times, the Journal Group learned yesterday.

Acting on instructions from Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ C. Abalos Jr., the top cop said he wants his instruction be fully and strictly implemented by all concerned units.

The PNP-OIC said their crackdown against illegal drug trafficking must continue any time of the day in proper coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, barangay authorities and other elected officials and representatives from the media and the Department of Justice.

The PNP-DEG is leading the PNP’s crackdown against illegal drugs with the support of the 17 Police Regional Offices and other intelligence units from the PNP and the government. Since last February, the unit has already accounted for more than P1 billion worth of shabu and other prohibited drugs. From July 25-28 alone, its men accounted for P642.4 million worth of shabu and marijuana; 41 drug personalities; and dozens of high-powered weapons and ammunition.

On Thursday last week, a PNP-DEG-led anti-narcotics operation along the Northern Luzon Expressway in San Fernando City in resulted in the seizure of some 60 kilograms of high-grade shabu worth P408 million and the arrest of a top drug target in the country.

Peralta said that arrested during the sting in front of the Mega Station along NLEX Kilometer 62 in Barangay San Felipe, San Fernando City was Hernani Loranya Cosumo. Confiscated during the Pampanga sting were an estimated 60 kilograms of shabu worth P408 million.

The suspect was described as a 31-year old jobless resident of Block 16, Lot 12, Kingstown One Subdivision in Bgy. Bagumbong, Caloocan City who has been on the radar of the PNP-DEG for months already prior to his arrest.

Peralta said members of the DEG Special Operations Unit- National Capital Region and SOU3 3 conducted the sting with the support of the Regional Intelligence Division, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit and Regional Special Operations Group of the National Capital Region Police Office under Major Gen. Felipe R. Natividad, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency headed by Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva,the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Pampanga Police Provincial Office.

Initially recovered from the suspect were the drugs he sold to an undercover officer of the PNP-DEG-NCR Special Operations Unit and the 10 bundles of boodle money topped by two marked P1,000 bills, an android phone he used in making contact with the poseur and assorted documents and identification cards.

The rest of the drugs concealed in two sacks were found inside a silver Hyundai Starex van with plate no. YFU-655 which was used by the ‘high-value target’ to transport the drugs. The vehicle was impounded by the PNP-DEG.

Peralta described the suspect as a member of a big-time drug syndicate involved in the large-scale trafficking of shabu in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions.

The suspect is now being held at the PNP-DEG headquarters in Camp Crame and facing non-bailable charges for sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The day before, a PNP-DEG-led operation in a Moro National Liberation Front-controlled area in Maguing, Lanao del Sur resulted in the destruction of an estimated P23 million worth of fully-grown marijuana plants and the seizure of a cache of high-powered weapons including two powerful sniper rifles, Peralta said.

The official said the cannabis plants and heavy weapons were found in Bgy. Bato-Bato in Maguing municipality by members of the DEG Special Operations Unit Bangsamoro Autonomous Region who were supported by troops from the DEG SOU 10 and the Army’s 5thInfantry Battalion.

“We have stumbled upon a big marijuana plantation site in Maguing, Lanao del Sur which is supposed to be under the control of the MNLF. Fortunately, no untoward incident occurred during the operation as our troops and some MNLF representatives agreed to talk peacefully,” the PNP-DEG director said.

Peralta said that the weapons were abandoned by still unidentified men near the marijuana site. According to the PNP-DEG director, confiscated during the operation were one M417 caliber .50 Barret sniper rifle with serial no. 582863 equipped with a long-range scope; a cal. .50 home-made sniper rifle without serial numbers; a Baby AK-47 automatic rifle with serial no 56-2-2981471; an M-16 Elisco automatic rifle with defaced serial numbers and an M-203 rifle with serial no. 27413.

Apart from the powerful guns, also recovered by the PNP-DEG at the site were 4 rounds of 40mm ammunition; 6 rifle grenade ammunition; 90 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition; a cal. 50 ammunition; 3 AK-47 magazines, a short M-16 magazine; and a Barret magazine.

Peralta said while the marijuana plants were being uprooted by his men with the help of the Army soldiers, an MNLF commander who identified himself as Ustadz Salim Abubakar of the MNLF Camp Blue Mountain in Butig, Lanao del Sur went to the area with his men and demanded custody of the recovered firearms, ammunition and high explosives.

The MNLF official claimed that the weapons and ammunition were issued to him by the MNLF high command and are being used by his followers.

However, the PNP-DEG men told the MNLF members they cannot release the weapons without any order from the court and the PNP leadership.

The negotiations ended with the MNLF members agreeing to a word by the PNP-DEG that the weapons will be temporarily placed under the custody of the DEG SOU BAR before they are submitted to a ballistics examination and technical investigation by the PNP Forensic Group before they are officially placed under safekeeping by the police.

Peralta said that uprooted and burned on site were an estimated 60,000 pieces of fully-grown cannabis plants valued at P12 million.

He added that the same security troops also conducted a marijuana eradication drive in Sitio Dibarosan in Bgy. Dilimbayan in Maguing municipality from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday which led in the destruction of an estimated P11 million worth of fully-grown cannabis plants found growing in 3 separate locations in the area.

Peralta said that uprooted in those areas were an estimated 55,000 marijuana plants which were all burned on site.

The official said that no arrests were made during the series of operations although they will be filing appropriate criminal charges against Salim et al in the aftermath of the recovery of the cache of weapons and explosives.

Four other top drug targets in the country were also hauled to jail by the PNP-DEG last week following a series of buy-bust operations which led in the confiscation of nearly P5 million worth of shabu.