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[av_heading heading=’Illegal drugs supply down ‘50%’ – PDEA’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Monday, March 6, 2017
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ILOILO City – If the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were to be believed, the supply of illegal drugs in Western Visayas dropped by “50 percent” due to relentless antidrug operations since July last year.
This was a “very rough” estimate, admitted Deputy Director Levi Ortiz.
He also attributed the drop to the death of suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Jr. in August last year.
The constricted operation of another suspected drug lord, the fugitive Richard Prevendido, contributed to the supply slump, too, added Ortiz.
Now that the Philippine National Police has resumed its antidrug campaign, Ortiz expressed confidence that Prevendido would finally be arrested and this would further reduce the illegal drugs supply in Western Visayas.
“Soon, Prevendido would be running out of money to pay the people giving him shelter. These protectors may turn him in to the police. There’s a P1-million reward waiting for them,” said Ortiz.
So far this year, the biggest volume of shabu recovered in the region was one kilo. This was from a former village chief in Pototoan, Iloilo, Ramon Platon – a suspected distributor of Odicta and Prevendido.
Ortiz said Platon previously got his stocks from the two suspected drug lords. But after Odicta was killed and Prevendido went into hiding, Platon may have found suppliers in Negros Island and Mindanao, said Ortiz.
“The confiscation of this one kilo of shabu valued at P8 million would further shrink the supply,” said Ortiz.
On Feb. 25, 2017, Platon – listed No. 1 in PDEA’s list of high-value drug targets in Iloilo province – was arrested in Barangay Intaluan, Pototan./PN
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