Fifty-three drug personalities have been killed in police operations since the Philippine National Police (PNP) started to actively support the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war against drugs.
PNP deputy spokesperson Supt. Vimilee Madrid said those killed were from operations that started in December 5, 2017 – when the PNP started to support the PDEA – to February 8, 2018.
Madrid said those killed “most probably” resisted when they were being arrested by anti-narcotics operatives.
“We have 53 (drug suspects) who died in police operations,” Madrid said.
Of the 53 drug personalities killed, 31 were killed in drug buy-busts while 11 were killed in operations conducted by the PNP Regional Office 3 in Central Luzon, Madrid said.
“Most of those killed were in buy-bust operations,” she added in Filipino.
Madrid added that the other drug personalities were killed during the service of search warrants and in checkpoint operations such as “Oplan Sita.”