DAVAO CITY (September 12) — An estimated P17.2 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in 328 operations conducted around the Davao Region in August, marking a significant victory for the Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao) in its anti-drug campaign.
Along with 275 street-level pushers and users, the month-long operations also resulted in the arrest of 91 high-value persons thought to be important participants in the local drug trade. The arrests, according to authorities, are a result of the police’s improved cooperation with local communities and other law enforcement agencies.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Arguelles, the regional director of PRO-Davao, commended the unwavering efforts of his officers on the ground, emphasizing that their work demonstrates the police force’s complete adherence to the anti-drug orders of acting PNP Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr.
According to Arguelles, each operation they carry out brings them one step closer to creating a safer community that is free of drugs.
The crackdown is part of a bigger national effort to dismantle drug networks, authorities stressed, and it targets not only low-level users but also the larger structures that enable the illegal trade to flourish.
Arguelles cautioned those involved in the drug trade that the effort will only intensify in the upcoming months.
The stepped-up operations coincide with the national government’s reinvigorated efforts to support community-based projects and rehabilitation programs in addition to the law enforcement campaign.
PRO-Davao pledged to keep striking a balance between the use of force by the police and initiatives that help communities reject drugs and start over.
