PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (File photo)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday vowed to intensify coordination with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to stem the continuing illegal drug operations of inmates behind bars.
This came after two drug suspects, Vencent Mayol Suplac and Giovanni Montecalvo Ambray, admitted that they are working as couriers for a detainee of the Cebu City Jail, after yielding PHP6.9-million worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation conducted by the local police on May 28.
“Hindi nauubusan ng paraan ang mga sindikato sa pagbebenta ng ilegal droga kaya hindi rin po tayo nauubusan ng diskarte para hulihin sila. Meron na tayong existing partnership with the BJMP and the BuCor at lalo natin itong palalakasin para hindi na mabigyan ng oportunidad ang mga nahuli nating drug trafficker na patuloy na magbenta ng droga (The syndicates are not running out of ways to sell illegal drugs so we too are not running out of strategies to catch them. We already have an existing partnership with the BJMP and the BuCor and we will strengthen it even more so that the drug traffickers we caught are no longer given the opportunity to continue selling drugs),” PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in a statement.
Citing his experience as former Metro Manila police chief, Eleazar said he provided manpower to the BuCor in conducting greyhound operations and in guarding the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Eleazar said part of the strong coordination is the conduct of regular assessment and information-sharing among the PNP, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), BJMP, and BuCor to stop persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from continuously trafficking illegal drugs while in detention facility or prison.
Eleazar also lauded the Cebu City Police for the successful operation.
“I commend the Cebu City Police for arresting two drug suspects who are said to be doing the bidding of a Cebu City jail inmate. Maganda na naputol natin ang operasyon ng PDL na suspek sa Cebu City Jail (It is good that we are able to halt the operations of the suspect who is a PDL of the Cebu City Jail),” he said.
He also directed the local police to determine the identities of other possible drug couriers working for the inmate.
From May 17 to 25, the PNP has conducted 1,317 illegal drug operations which led to the arrest of 1,709 drug personalities and the death of 21 suspects.
During the same period, police confiscated a total of PHP181,461,567 worth of shabu and marijuana.
This includes around 17,000 grams of shabu and 527,000 grams of marijuana. (PNA)
