AFTER arresting 323 drug pushers and peddlers and confiscating Php3.7 million worth of illegal drugs in 208 operations in 2015, the Dagupan City Police Station (DCPS) again waxed hot at the start of 2016 with series of operations against illegal drugs in a bid to outdo its own performance last year.

“For 2016, nag-reload na kami,” was how P/Supt. Christopher Abrahano, chief of police, described DCPS’ efforts in the campaign in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH.

He explained that DCPS is already targeting a second batch of drug personalities after arresting seven of the original top 10 personalities.

Abrahano confirmed that the top 1, 2,3,4,5,9 and 10 have already been nabbed except the 6,7 and 8 target personalities who have since been missing and are suspected to have already shifted their operations to other places to seek refuge.

He said this explains why some drug dealers in the city have been arrested recently in Calasiao, Mangaldan, San Fabian and Binmaley.

Expressing confidence that he can top the number of arrests in the cities of Urdaneta, San Carlos and Alaminos in the campaign vs. illegal drugs this year, Abrahano said DCPS’ anti-drug operations haves steadily risen over the last 3 years from 80 percent increase (of arrests) in 2013, to more that 100% in 2014 and more than 100% in 2015.

He attributed most of the successful operations that led to the arrests of drug pushers and peddlers to the reports of concerned citizens through text messages sent to the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC).

Abrahano said DCPS received full support from Mayor Belen Fernandez who he said used her personal funds on many occasions to bankroll anti-drug entrapment operations.

He said that in the past, policemen had to raise their own cash for buy-bust money even knowing they could only get back their money after the cases filed against the suspects are decided by the court.

Mayor Fernandez volunteered to solve their dilemma by providing her personal money instead of sourcing funds from her intelligence fund because of the tedious documentation needed by the Commission on Audit to liquidate such funds.

More importantly Abrahano said the mayor ordered the DCPS to spare no one found involved in illegal drugs and cited her refusal to intervene in the case of a member of the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) and an employee of the local government who were arrested.

For her efforts, Abrahano said Mayor Fernandez was awarded last year by PNP Regional Office 1 as “best LGU partner in peace and order.”

In fact, Abrahano considers 2015 a banner year for the DCPS as crime volume significantly decreased from 4,375 in 2014 to 2,432 and gave the city government a lot of credit for it. (Leonardo Micua)

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