BUTUAN CITY – The conduct of a six-day Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operation (SACLEO) in the Caraga Region has resulted in the arrest of wanted persons, the Police Regional Office (PRO-13) said Monday.
In a report, the PRO-13 said the SACLEO conducted from April 18 to 23 also led to the surrender of 22 communist New People’s Army rebels in the region.
Of the 74 wanted persons apprehended, 23 are considered as most wanted in the region, provincial, city and municipal levels, the report said.
At least 51 other wanted persons fell into the hands of police authorities during the intensified law enforcement operations, it added.
Anti-illegal drug operations conducted by police units also led to the arrest of 26 suspects and the seizure of 144.7 grams of shabu worth PHP985,000. Six suspects involved in illegal logging were also apprehended and 1,774 board feet of hot logs worth PHP62,421 were confiscated.
“We keep the momentum in the implementation of special laws and the service of warrants of arrest against those sought by the law as part of our more aggressive police operations,” PRO-13 director Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a total of 22 NPA rebels in the region also surrendered to various police field units during the period.
Among those who surrendered was a certain “Esmer”, 50, a team leader and collector operating under the NPA's Guerrilla Front 23.
Esmer, who handed over a hand grenade, surrendered to the personnel of Bislig City Police Station in Surigao del Sur on Sunday.
Six other NPA rebels surrendered to the police in Surigao del Sur; nine in Agusan del Norte; three to the PRO-13 Intelligence Division; two in Butuan City; and one to Agusan del Sur.
Meanwhile, 33 persons were also arrested for illegal fishing, while two others were nabbed for carrying loose firearms. (PNA)
