WAR ON DRUGS. Some 27 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP183,600 were seized by operatives of the Bacolod City Police Office’s City Drug Enforcement Unit from a suspect in June. The intensified campaign against illegal drugs in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental from July 1, 2016 to the third week of July 2021 led to the recovery of PHP300.55 million worth of shabu and marijuana, police records showed.
(File photo courtesy of Bacolod City Police Office)
BACOLOD CITY – Some PHP300.55 million worth of illegal drugs have been seized by various police units in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental in the past five years as a result of the intensified war on drugs campaign of the Duterte administration.
Data from the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) given to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday showed that from July 1, 2016 to July 22, 2021, operatives have recovered a total of 18,172 grams of shabu worth PHP123.572 million.
Each gram of shabu is pegged at PHP6,800, based on the value set by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).
Also seized were 708.289 grams of marijuana amounting to PHP106,243.
During the period, drug enforcements teams conducted 2,189 operations and arrested 3,560 persons.
These included 2,315 newly-identified individuals, 976 street-level individuals, 220 high-value individuals, 249 minors, and 10 who died in police operations.
A total of 4,880 cases have been filed in court against the suspects for violation of the Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs of 2002.
The conduct of Operation Tokhang led to the surrender of 4,250 individuals, including 1,052 drug pushers and 3,198 drug users.
Maj. Sherlock Gabana, public information officer of BCPO, told the PNA that based on the figures in the past five years, it can be said that the campaign against illegal drugs in the city has been successful as "our campaign had resulted in the decrease in crime rate."
Gabana, who led several major anti-drug operations in the past years, said data showed that from 2016 to 2021, the Bacolod police has registered much higher numbers compared to the five-year periods in the previous years.
“We focused on the campaign against illegal drugs being a flagship program of the Duterte administration. We appreciate the active support of people in giving information to police during operations,” he added.
Among those who surrendered and were arrested, Gabana said there are still some who have returned to the illegal drug trade, whom they also continue to pursue, but there are also those who have decided to lead better lives after receiving assistance from the government.
“There are those who have found jobs and some have even worked abroad. Their families have been thankful that they have stopped engaging in illegal drugs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) recovered 20,223.49 grams of shabu valued at PHP176.525 million and 12,991 grams of marijuana worth PHP351,776.
From July 1, 2016 to July 20, 2021, drug enforcement teams from 31 police stations in Negros Occidental conducted 3,068 operations and arrested 4,244 personalities. Some 23 persons died in police operations.
A total of 8,157 cases were filed in court against the suspects for violation of RA 9165.
During the period, 1,101 drug pushers while 12,387 drug users surrendered under Oplan Tokhang.
In a separate interview, Lt. Abegael Donasco, officer-in-charge of the NOCPPO Public Information Office, said on Monday that lower crime incidence has also been noted in Negros Occidental with the stepped-up campaign against illegal drugs along with police-initiated operations for other crimes. (PNA)
