PNP arrested 43 drug personalities since January
ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUGS CAMPAIGN UPDATE
OUT of the 511 persons arrested for various drug offenses since January this year, 43 of these were included among the 666 drug personalities in the watch list of the Pangasinan Provincial Police Office (PPPO).
Confiscated shabu totaled 875.30 grams with P4 to 5 million street value.
This was bared by P/Supt. Benjamin P. Ariola, action officer of the provincial anti-illegal drugs special operation task group (PAIDSTOG) who said the arrests were the results of the intensified anti- illegal drug campaign in the province after conducting 376 operations from January to June 24 this year, 78% higher than the 479 number of operations they conducted last 2014.
He said the operation in Alaminos City yielded the highest quantity of illegal drugs with 198 grams, followed by the operation in Villasis with 145 grams and Bani with 90 grams.
Based on their intelligence operations, the police have determined that the “big fishes” move and or expanded their trade to other towns and cities in the province where they believe local government units are not as vigilant in their fight against illegal drugs but they were wrong,” said Ariola.
He said the trend became evident when the quantity of illegal drugs seized in recent operations in the cities of Dagupan and Urdaneta declined. (Both cities have been declared by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) as transshipment points of illegal drug trade in the north).
He said these could be indications that the drug syndicates decided to concentrate in other towns because of the campaigns in the two cities.
Ariola admitted they are now focusing on arresting drug personalities in every town and cities in the province with the help of the information from the Provincial Anti- Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) and the Barangay Anti- Drug Abuse Council (BADAC).
Aside from the supply-reduction efforts of PAIDSTOG, symposiums and seminars on ill- effects of illegal drug use are also being held in schools and communities as part of the demand-reduction side.
About 467 cases had been filed in court, he added.
INNOVATIVE TACTICS
Meanwhile, police have noted that drug pushers in Pangasinan have become innovative in their transactions using various modus operandi.
Ariola cited one arrested pusher in Manaoag town who sold pan de sal sandwich (shabu as filling), honking the horn of his motorcycle to make his presence felt.
Then, adult pushers already use minors as their courier to evade arrest since the child is protected by the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act cannot be charged criminally. A 12-year old boy was nabbed in Mangaldan town where 10 grams of shabu were seized from him.
A mother arrested in Dagupan for drug peddling used her crying baby as the excuse for her criminal activity in the hope of being released out of pity.
Still, some pushers place shabu inside a crafted tansan (crown) and throw these to buyers, and the payments are thrown back by the buyer.
Payments for drugs are also made through the automated teller machine or money remittance services. Ariola said they discovered this when they seized items during search operations that included a bank transaction record from a New Bilibid Prison detainee.
“Users and are pushers becoming innovative,” Ariola said. (Hilda Austria/TitaRoces)
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