Gamboa: No let-up to drug campaign
PNP continues to be in the frontline of ensuring public safety by going after illegal drugs
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will not back down on its mandate to address the drug problem in the country, as Gen. Archie Gamboa commended various anti-illegal drug units for successfully apprehending more than P8.4 billion worth of shabu in the past nine days.
“I commend the recent string of successful anti-illegal drug operations of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) and the Police Regional Offices (PRO). The yield of P8.395 billion worth of illegal drugs in a span of nine days is unprecedented and is proof that the PNP is relentless in its pursuit of criminals and syndicates behind illegal drugs,” Gamboa said in a statement.
“The PNP continues to be in the frontline of ensuring public safety by going after illegal drugs. There is no let-up in our campaign even as we are facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
The most recent operation last Friday saw police in Caloocan, Navotas and Marikina hauling in P18.25 million worth of shabu from a series of operations.
Likewise, regional offices were also active in the fight against narcotics. A total of P1.22 million worth of shabu was confiscated in Bacolod City, P300,000 in Butuan City and P306,000 in Rizal, all on 12 and 13 June.
Another operation in Cavite on 11 June netted P2.5 billion of suspected shabu, and on 9 June another P1.8 million of drugs in Guiguinto, Bulacan.
On 6 June, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency conducted an operation that yielded P244.8 million worth of shabu in Paranaque City.
The biggest haul consisted of P5.63 billion worth of shabu confiscated from a Chinese national and his Filipino accomplices in Marilao, Bulacan on 4 June.
The yield of P8.395 billion worth of illegal drugs in a span of nine days is unprecedented.
Gamboa earlier said the PNP has shifted its anti-drug campaign to “supply reduction.”
“The PNP actually evolved in the operation against illegal drugs. What we first addressed is to stop demand and later on, evolve,” he said, referring to the first strategy of the campaign, which focused on street-level drug trade.
He said the strategy has led to the confiscation of illegal drugs worth billions of pesos in recent police operations.
“As a matter of fact, you can see now we have apprehensions by the billions of pesos worth of drugs, which is practically supply reduction. So, (the campaign) against illegal drugs of course under the auspices of the Philippine anti-drug campaign strategy which is being supervised by Dangerous Drugs Board,” he added.