ONE of the 66 suspected drug users arrested in last Thursday’s One Time, Big Time anti-drug roundup operation by the Cebu City police tested positive for HIV/AIDS, the police said yesterday.
Chief Insp. Clark Ariola of the Parian Police Precinct said the man, whose identity is withheld to protect his privacy, was caught by mobile patrol at 5 a.m. last Thursday and he yielded a needle and Nubain injectibles.
Ariola said the man’s neighbors had long suspected him of illegal drug use.
The man who is in his 50s admitted to police that the needles he used were also used by someone else who may have been infected with HIV/AIDS.
The man tested positive for HIV/AIDS after police brought him to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) for examination. He said he had been using drugs a decade ago.
Ariola said he ordered the Parian police to conduct an information campaign against drugs to include the warning on used needles.
The suspect is detained at the Parian Police Precinct.
The suspect’s two children had lived separately with their mother ever since he started his drug habit.
About 66 out of 112 drug suspects arrested in last Thursday’s One Time, Big Time operation were suspected drug users.
Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City police chief, said they will implement their anti-drug operations randomly to catch users and pushers off guard while maintaining surveillance in drug hotspots.