ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Three individuals were arrested in separate anti-drug operations on Sunday in this southern port city, a police official said Monday.
Maj. Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the arrested suspects as Ryan Napalcruz Garcia, 39; Julaila Batayola Damsid, 29; and Nuruddin Abdulsamad Antam, 34.
Galvez said Garcia was arrested in possession of some PHP2,000 worth of suspected shabu and PHP200 marked money in a buy-bust operation in Pablo Enriquez Drive, Barangay Boalan.
Recovered from Damsid, meanwhile, were some PHP1,500 worth of suspected shabu and PHP200 marked money when arrested in Barangay Tulungatung, police said.
Police said Antam was arrested in a buy-bust operation Sunday in Barangay Arena Blanco, and yielded some PHP3,500 worth of suspected shabu and PHP200 marked money.
Galvez said the arrest of the three came after Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, ordered the chiefs of the 11 police stations to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs in their areas of responsibility.
Capt. Edwin Duco, ZCPO information officer, said earlier that Martir issued the order following observation that the drug-related crimes have surged in 2019, though no specific figures were given.
“The city police director wants the fight against illegal drugs to continue without let-up because our objective is to lower the (drug-related) crime volume and increase police efficiency,” Duco said. (PNA)
