At least 80 kilos of illegal drugs with an estimated dangerous drugs board (DDB) value of P194.2 million, confiscated by the Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) operations, and the Police are set to be destroyed by thermal destruction on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, at the Apo Cement Compound, Barangay Tina-an, Naga City, Cebu.| CDN Digital file photo — Alven Timtim
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) has confirmed that Cebu is one of the provinces where drug groups still roost.
PDEA-7 spokesperson, Leia Albiar, confirmed to CDN Digital in a text message that Cebu was among the areas where some of the 186 local drug groups had been identified.
“We have identified some drug groups in the region, particularly in Cebu. Unfortunately, we cannot disclose specific information so as not to compromise future operations,” Albiar said.
She said that PDEA-7 had been constantly monitoring Metro Cebu and the rest of the region as drug trading has continued rampantly despite continuous crackdowns of drug dens.
“But the PDEA 7, in coordination with the PNP and other law enforcement units, is closely monitoring these drug groups,” she added.
Read more: PDEA: About 186 local drug groups operate in Philippines
PDEA Chief Aaron Aquino said on Thursday, December 12, 2019, that they were on the look-out for 186 local drug groups in the country.
However, Aquino could not quantify how many international drug rings were in the country but he cited the recent capture of alleged drug lord Hong Liangyi, the supposed head of the Dragon Wu drug syndicate.
He said the Chinese national-ran drug laboratories were discovered in Ibaan, Batangas; Tagaytay; and Malabon
Aquino said PDEA had been coordinating with their Chinese counterparts to go after other members of the Dragon Wu group.
He said that the group traced its roots to the so-called “Golden Triangle” area which was notorious for being a drug-producing region./dbs