NEARLY P1.140-billion worth of shabu have been seized by agents of the Police Regional Office 7 since 2023, the Journal Group learned Saturday.

According to PRO7 director, Brigadier General Anthony A. Aberin, they have effectively prevented the distribution and sale of the huge volume of prohibited substances in Central Visayas since last year as a result of their ‘intelligence-driven’ anti-narcotics operations.

Latest to be arrested were Jaime Dajao, 47; and his brother Roberto, 53, who were caught while conspiring to sell 10 kilograms of shabu worth P68 million.

Undercover officers from the PRO7 Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, with the support of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group and the PDEA conducted the sting which led in the confiscation of 12 pieces of vacuum-sealed plastic packets containing the drugs and the buy-bust money.

The recovered drug evidence was brought to the Regional Forensic Unit 7 for quantitative and qualitative examination and further safekeeping.

Last February 10, Aberin said they hauled to jail another suspect in Central Visayas identified as Elmer Barioga after he sold 10 kilos of shabu to an undercover officer in Cebu City.

From January 1, 2023 to date, the PRO7 has succeeded in confiscating the over P1 billion worth of shabu.

The PRO7 chief said that from January 1, 2023 to January 25 this year, it conducted a total of 6,991 anti-narcotics operations which led in the arrest of 8,352 targets.

Aberin said they are following-up information provided by the arrested suspects regarding the main source of the huge volume of drugs seized from them.

Of the 8,352 drug suspects hauled to jail by the regional police force, 913 were ‘watch-listed targets’ while 2,765 were ‘newly-identified drug personalities.

During the same period, the PRO7 seized at least 150.4 kilograms of shabu valued at nearly P1.023 billion and around 6.7 kilos of dried marijuana leaves worth at least P798,000.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon