OVER P32 million worth of shabu were recently hauled by agents of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 in a string of anti-narcotics operations in Central Visayas, PRO7 director Brigadier General Anthony A. Aberin said on Friday.

The official said that last week alone, their intensified anti-narcotics operation led to the arrest of 28 “high-value targets” (HVTs) and the recovery of 4.6 kilograms of shabu and 1.7 kilos of dried marijuana leaves, all valued at P31.2 million.

He said that the confiscation of the prohibited drugs has been seen as having a major impact on the peace and security situation in Central Visayas.

Aberin said that from April 23 to 29, 2023, they recovered a total of 4.6 kilos of the so-called “poor man’s cocaine’ with a Dangerous Drugs Board value of P31, 009,666.00.

The period also saw the seizure of 1.7 kilos of marijuana worth P200,000.

“We made the huge drug confiscation as a result of 191 anti-narcotics operations conducted across the region,” Aberin said.

On Tuesday, PRO7 Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) officers also arrested an HVT in the region with the alias “Seboy” after he sold some 75 grams of shabu worth P510,000 to an undercover agent in Sitio Motra, Barangay Tisa in Cebu City.

The PRO7 director said that their recent drug haul was triggered by their intelligence-driven approach to combat illegal substances in Central Visayas.

He added that the successful anti-crime operations in Region 7 were made in strict adherence to the instructions of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr., and the ongoing BIDA or “Buhay ay Ingatan, Droga ay Iwasan” program of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” C. Abalos Jr.

“We are going all-out against illegal drugs and all other forms of criminality in Central Visayas while ensuring the safety of police operatives and the community during our operations,” Aberin said.

The official commended his men who were responsible for taking out the illegal drugs off the streets of Central Visayas. “I hope by this time illegal drug personalities have realized that illegal drug activities have no place in Central Visayas,” he said.

The PRO7 also recorded a massive 23.6 percent reduction in all major crimes in the region last week amid their stepped-up drive against all forms of criminality and strict enforcement of city and municipal ordinances.

Aberin said that they registered a huge crime reduction in Central Visayas amid the order of Acorda to go all-out against criminality, specifically drugs and illegal firearms, as well as terror and corruption.

Official PRO7 records showed that the focus crimes in Central Visayas dropped by 23.6 percent during the period, wherein the local police recorded 55 cases compared to the 72 incidents the week before.

The PRO7 also put at 89.09% the number of crimes they have cleared and at 80 percent the number of cases they have solved respectively during the same period in review.

Aberin said he expects their Crime Clearance Efficiency (CCE) and Crime Solution Efficiency (CSE) to continue to increase in the coming days as investigators-on-case are fully working on these recent cases.

“We are conducting intelligence-driven anti-drug operations calculated to redound in the reduction of crimes in the region. With illegal drugs out in the streets, the community is safer,” he said.