A TOTAL of 353 wanted persons were hauled to jail by agents of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-1 amid its intensified anti-criminality campaign, the Journal Group learned.

The region is composed of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan and Dagupan City.

The PRO-1 said that from April 1 to 30, it accounted for 27 crime suspects facing serious criminal offenses while the 326 others were other wanted persons.

During the period, the Ilocos-Pangasinan police force also conducted 95 anti-narcotics operations which resulted in the arrest of 106 targets and the confiscation of nearly P36.7 million worth of shabu and marijuana plants and dried leaves.

Among those recovered were some 2.9 kilos of shabu worth nearly P20 million and some 3.5 tons of cannabis plants and seedlings and leaves.

Brig. Gen. Lou Evangelista, PRO-1 regional director, said that also arrested for loose firearms during the period were 24 persons who yielded 25 illegal guns.

The PRO-1’s continuing implementation of the PNP’s Oplan: Katok aimed at accounting for guns with expired licenses and permits also led to the surrender of 112 firearms by their registered owners.

The official said 48 anti-illegal gambling operations in the region last April led to the arrest of 131 persons and the recovery of assorted illegal gambling paraphernalia and nearly P94,000 in cash bets.

A total of 41 cases for violation of the country’s illegal gambling law were filed against the arrested persons.

The PRO-1 director said that amid their intensified effort to support the PNP’s effort to put an end to local communist armed conflict, 48 New People’s Army personalities yielded to local police and military authorities following talks with officers.

Five firearms and four explosives were also turned over by the rebel personalities to authorities.

Since December last year, the PRO-1 has already accounted for more than 560 drug targets and seized over P60 million worth of shabu and dried marijuana leaves.

The PRO-1 also accounted for more than 1,700 wanted persons during the period and confiscated more than 600 illegal weapons from over 200 persons.

Most of the illegal firearms were seized during the service of search warrants, checkpoints, arrest of wanted persons and buy-bust operations.

Evangelista said they are redirecting their focus on the new policies and programs of PNP chief Gen. Francisco Marbil, who has vowed to ensure that Filipinos will feel what real police presence is.

Marbil said that he is also looking at the infrastructure and membership of the organization critically and would be employing a holistic approach to assess and determine ways by which they can increase effectiveness, efficiency and productivity throughout the 17 Police Regional Offices, 102 Provincial and City Police Offices and 1,824 city and municipal police stations spread all over the country.