ILOILO City – Non-stop anti-drug operations across Western Visayas are giving traffickers the jitters, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“Nabudlayan na sila magbaligya kay permi lang ma-monitor ila hulag,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, spokesperson of PRO-6.
Between January and November this year, a total of P85-million worth of suspected shabu were recovered in 1,449 drug operations.
This is 43.7 percent lower than the P15-million shabu confiscations in the same period last year, according to the PRO-6.
A total of 1,829 drug personalities were arrested so far this year – 15.16 percent lower than last year’s.
Scared of being apprehended, some suspects stopped peddling and resorted to securing decent jobs, according to Solis.
“Kadamo na subong sang mga job opening,” Solis said. “That’s why limited ang baligyaanay and manubo aton drug operations.”
He also attributed the decrease in drug seizure to the arrest of “high value” suspects who could be the suppliers as well.
Solis also cited the continuous barangay drug-clearing operations of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 6.
“It’s really a big help. We hope this will continue to limit the drug proliferation,” said Solis.
The police and PDEA-6 also put in efforts to help drug surrenderers.
“We appeal to those who are still engaged in drug trafficking to stop and look for decent jobs,” Solis added.
As of Nov. 16, all drug-affected villages in the province of Aklan were cleared, data from PDEA-6 showed.
Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, meanwhile, had the least drug-cleared barangays with 21.31 percent and 38.42 percent, respectively.
The province of Antique posted 99.32 percent; Iloilo province, 96.28 percent; Guimaras, 93.88 percent; Capiz, 86.46 percent; and Iloilo City, 48.88 percent./PN