CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City policemen are expecting a deluge of illegal drugs in Cebu City, especially during Christmas, New Year, and Sinulog 2022.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that this is what they are preparing for as they intensify their campaign and operation against illegal drugs in the city.
Based on their previous reports, Parilla said that it was during these seasons that more drug users will be seeking supplies.
To counter this, Parilla said that they will continue to intensify their buy-bust operations and their intelligence-based investigation and monitoring.
Aside from trying to reduce the supply of illegal drugs, police are also looking at reducing the demand by conducting drug symposiums on the community level.
Recently, Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, CCPO director, said that they are focusing their operations against drugs as they noticed the high correlation between crimes and drugs.
Ligan said that once illegal drugs have infiltrated a community, the peace and order situation in those communities is compromised.
Crimes such as killing, snatching, robbery, and others will then become rampant.
That is why Ligan said that reducing the proliferation of illegal drugs is crucial to maintaining the peace and security of an area. This, however, may be easier said than done, he said, because illegal drugs has already become a lucrative business.
READ: CCPO sees illegal drugs as major factor for crimes in Cebu City
On Monday alone, December 6, Parilla said that they have confiscated nearly P3 million worth of ‘shabu’ from two separate drug operations involving a previous detainee for drugs and two brothers from Cebu City.
Parilla was referring to a buy-bust operation conducted in barangay Kinasang-an Pardo, around 11:55 pm on Monday, December 6, wherein they confiscated 305 grams of ‘shabu’ from 23-year-old Carl Negro, a resident of the said barangay.
Negro allegedly communicates with a detainee in the Cebu City Jail Male Dormitory to help him source out his items.
The confiscated ‘shabu’ has an estimated market value of P2,074,000.
READ: Nine months after release from jail, man is arrested anew for illegal drugs
Earlier, policemen from Police Station 3 or Waterfront Police Station also arrested brothers, John Carlo, 33, and Junery Cuizon, 25, in barangay San Roque with around 240 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P1.6 million.
The suspects are currently detained at the Waterfront Police Station.
Age Range of Drug Personalities
Parilla said they have noticed that some of the arrested suspects are still in their early 20’s. Parilla surmised that these peddlers might have started selling drugs as minors.
Parilla added that the involvement of minors in illegal drug activities in Cebu City is one of their major concerns.
Parilla revealed that big drug personalities usually use and manipulate minors for their operations as the youngsters will not be arrested once caught and will only be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
There, they will undergo activities that could help them change, be better, and stay away from involvement in drugs.
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