War on drugs still on track — Eleazar
COMING in the heels of an anti-narcotics operation in Cebu City which resulted in the killing of three drug traffickers and the seizure of 10 kilograms of shabu worth P68 million, Philippine National Police chief General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar on Saturday assured the public that law enforcement agencies have further doubled their efforts in their crackdown against drug trafficking.
The top cop issued the statement in reaction to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report saying shabu remains the main problem of anti-illegal drug units in the Philippines.
Gen. Eleazar stressed that efforts of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) have made a considerable dent in the illegal drug trade, particularly shabu.
“Kabi-kabila ang mga nasasabat ng PDEA at PDEG na malakihang bulto ng shabu. Baka kaya din na nasabi nilang talamak pa din ang shabu ay dahil sa mga successful operations na ito ng PDEA at PDEG,” he said.
“Patuloy ang pinaigting na kampanya natin laban sa iligal na droga at makikita iyan sa mga high value targets o HVTs na arestado ng ating mga police anti-illegal drug units pati na sa dami ng shabu na ating narerekober sa ating mga operasyon,” he added.
On Thursday night, PNP-DEG operatives headed by Brigadier Gen. Remus B. Medina, with the support of the PDEA under Director General Wilkins M. Villanueva launched a sting in Cebu City which ended up in a gunbattle that left three armed suspects dead.
Confiscated from the suspects were 10 kilos of the so-called ‘poor man’s cocaine’ worth P68 million, one M-16 automatic rifle, a caliber .45 pistol, one cal. .38 revolver, assorted live ammunition, the buy-bust money and their getaway car.
The UNODC reported that shabu continues to flow into the country from its neighboring states.
However, Gen. Eleazar said the PNP has long tasked concerned police units, including the Maritime Group, to heighten border security measures to prevent the entry of illegal drugs.
“Mahigpit po ang kautusan sa PNP Maritime Group na lalong paigtingin ang pagbabantay sa ating mga baybayin upang walang makakalusot na iligal na droga, partikular ang high-grade cocaine, na minsan ay inihuhulog lang ng mga dayuhang barko sa ating karagatan,” he said.
“Patuloy din ang ating koordinasyon sa mga drug enforcement agencies sa ibang bansa, katuwang ang PDEA at Bureau of Customs, para mapalakas pa ang ating border controls kontra sa pagpasok ng illegal drugs sa bansa,” he explained.
