TAGUIG City Mayor Lani Cayetano announced that more than 150 operations against illegal drugs and illegal gambling have been conducted in the city for the period of December 2022 to January 2023 in connection with PNP Taguig and the local government’s serious fight versus criminality in the city.

The operations include the implementation of search warrants, buy-bust operations, and weekly conduct of one-time-big-time (OTBT) operations that led to the arrest of 193 individuals and the seizure of P31 million worth of illegal drugs.

In December 2022, during the 4th Interim Full Council Meeting of the Metro Manila Peace and Order Council, Taguig City Chief of Police PCol Robert Baesa received the Medalya ng Kadakilaan Award for his exemplary performance as supervisor during the Oplan Sita operation in Brgy. Maharlika which led to the arrest of Basser Gugo Utto of the Utto Criminal Group and Normina Paleg Datuan, and the seizure of 30kgs of shabu worth P20.4 million.

The city of Taguig has consistently campaigned against illegal drugs and has committed to purging the city of drug peddlers, including those from the Tiñga Drug Syndicate, and putting them behind bars.

Just recently, another member of the Tiñga Drug Syndicate, Bernardo Tiñga, was arrested by the Taguig City Police on P. Mariano Street in Barangay Ususan. More than P95,000 worth of shabu and illegal firearms were seized from his possession.

In 2016, Joel Tiñga was sentenced to reclusion perpetua for selling illegal drugs. Another member of the syndicate, Elisa “Ely” Tiñga, wife of Noel Tiñga who is a cousin of former Taguig Mayor Freddie Tiñga, was meted out the same punishment in February 2017.

She was at that time the third most wanted person in the list of illegal drug personalities. She was also the seventh member of the Tiñga Drug Syndicate to be arrested and jailed.

In 2020, a buy-bust operation led to the seizure of over P20 million worth of shabu and resulted in the arrest of Patrick Ace Tinga.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Edd Reyes