9-7-2023 (MANILA) Police in Kalinga and Cebu province have seized marijuana and shabu worth an estimated P20 million in anti-narcotics operations on Friday. Police Drug Enforcement Group Director Brig. Gen. Faro Antonio Olaguera said that two plantation sites in Barangay Buscalan in Tinglayan were raided, and marijuana worth P13 million (S$316, 000) was uprooted and destroyed.
A manhunt has been launched to find the cultivators of the marijuana plantations. In Lapu-Lapu City, freelance photographer Rhoniel Abastas was arrested, and 1.05 kilos of shabu worth P7.14 million were recovered in Barangay Mactan. Central Visayas Police Director Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin said that Abastas was a “high-value drug target” in Central Visayas. The suspect now faces charges of drug trafficking under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. In Quezon province, a drug bust resulted in the seizure of 180 grams of shabu worth P1.22 million.
Samuel Marino was apprehended after selling shabu worth P20,000 to an undercover agent in Barangay Sta. Catalina in Pagbilao town.
The Philippines has been battling a drug war since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016. Duterte has made it a priority to crack down on drug use and trafficking, and his administration has been criticised for human rights violations in the drug war. Despite international condemnation, the government has vowed to continue its campaign against illegal drugs.
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, drug arrests and seizures have increased during the pandemic, with most of the operations targeting high-value targets. The agency has also reported a surge in the use of online platforms to sell drugs during the lockdowns.
