(Photo courtesy of DILG)
MANILA – Joint operatives of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) seized 575 kg. of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PHP4 billion and arrested a Chinese national in Baguio City on Wednesday morning.
In a message sent to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo said 51-year-old Ming Hui, was arrested during the implementation of a search warrant in Purok 4, Irisan, Baguio City at about 8:55 a.m.
The search warrant was issued by Baguio City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Rufus Malecdan Jr. on Tuesday.
Okubo said the operation stemmed from the surveillance operations of the NCRPO, in coordination with PDEA, to locate the possible storage site of a big haul of illegal drugs until it was found to be in Baguio City.
“Due to the unfavorable operating environment of these illegal drug syndicates in Metro Manila and rigorous anti-illegal drugs operation of NCRPO, these drug syndicates had no other choice but to hide these illegal drugs to Baguio City, which is known to have very low cases of drug affectation, thereby, becomes conducive for less likelihood of detection,” he said.
Okubo said initial investigation showed that the seized illegal drugs were to be distributed or sold in Luzon.
He added that the PNP would take custody of the evidence gathered for safekeeping and further investigation while PDEA would undertake drug profiling to establish the DNA of the narcotics to aid the conduct of follow-up operations.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. thanked all the participating units that had worked together to attain a whole-of-nation approach in the fight against illegal drugs.
“Ang approach dito is whole-of-the-nation, whole-of-government approach. Hindi lang gagalaw ang PDEA, hindi lang gagalaw ang kapulisyahan, hindi lang NBI, sanib puwersa lahat ito. Ang maganda rito kasama ang Cordillera police at ito ay simula lamang. Marami pa itong pupuntahan namin mga ganitong bagay (The approach here is whole-of-nation, whole-of-government approach. Not only PDEA, not only the police, not only the NBI conducted the operation. They joined forces. What is good is that the Cordillera police was also involved. This is just the beginning. We are going to have a lot more of these things),” Abalos told reporters in an interview in Baguio City.
He said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the PNP and other law enforcement agencies to run after high-level drug syndicates.
Meanwhile, PDEA Director Gen. Moro Virgilio Lazo said they would continue to comply with the President's order to undertake supply reduction efforts and arrest top-level drug traffickers.
"This is one accomplishment towards the end. Kung tutuusin mo yung bulk na ito malaki ang mase-save natin sa mga gumagamit, kasi nahuli naman natin. (This is one achievement towards the end. If you consider this bulk, we will save a lot for drug users because it was confiscated),” Lazo said. (PNA)
