Maranan assures intensified campaign vs illegal drugs
LINGAYEN—There will no let-up in the campaign and investigation into the seizure last week of P124.5 million worth of shabu in Urdaneta City and the arrest of five Chinese nationals.
This was the assurance made by P/Col. Redrico Maranan, 45, new newly designated police provincial director of Pangasinan vice P/Col. Wilson Lopez.
“I just read that in the papers but rest assured we will make a follow up,” said Maranan, 1995 Philippine National Police Academy graduate, in a talk to newsmen after the turnover of command, as he said the war on drugs in the province will be intensified further following the successful operations in Urdaneta City.
There are speculations the Chinese nationals could have been in Pangasinan for a long time and the NBI is verifying if the illegal drugs were sourced abroad or locally manufactured.
The turnover ceremony last May 28 was presided by P/Brigadier General Joel Orduña, police regional director, attended by all police chiefs and staff officers of the Pangasinan PNP provincial office.
A native of Imus, Cavite, Maranan was chief of police of Marikina City before he was named OIC-police director of Pangasinan.
The Urdaneta operations that resulted in the seizure of P124 million worth of shabu conducted by joint operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency PDEA) and the Philippine National Police initially arrested Chinese nationals, Lu Jun, Zuo Shing Li, Li Yu and Ye Ling.
A follow-up operation by a composite team led by Lopez resulted in the arrest of the fifth Chinese national, Lui Bin and seizure of 300 grams of shabu worth P500,000. on May 24 when they served a search warrant on the suspect at their safe house inside Doña Trining Subdivision in Barangay Camantiles, Urdaneta City.
The suspects were reported to be maintaining other safe houses in Calasiao and Mangaldan.
The NBI believed the shabu seized were intended for distribution in Manila, which confirmed reports that Pangasinan may now have become transshipment point of illegal drugs bound for Manila.
The NBI considers the operation as the biggest drug bust not only in Northern Philippines. Lopez will next assume as chief of staff of the Southern Police District in Manila. (Leonardo Micua/PhilStar Wire Service)
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