Illegal drugs affect 50% of C. Visayas barangays
Half of all barangays in Central Visayas wrestle with the problem of illegal drugs, said police officials.
Shabu is the most abused substance followed by marijuana.
Wardley Getalla, assistant regional deirector of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), said that 50 percent of the 3,033 barangays in the region or 1,506 villages have drug problems.
A total of 60 barangays are “seriously affected” by the drug menace.
His report was given in yesterday’s meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (PROC).
Gov. Hilario Davide III, RPOC chairman, ordered the new police regional director Manuel Gaerlan to continue the programs that would eradicate illegal drugs.
Entry points of illegal drugs are airports, seaports, mail and parcel services and the coastline.
The contraband is often concealed in milk boxes, Chinese tea bags, shampoo bottles, sandals, and secret compartments of luggage and bags.
Another police office reported that the volume of confiscated illegal drugs almost doubled from last year.
A total of 18,139.17 grams of shabu worth P214 million was seized from January to November this year, said Supt. Arnel Banzon, OIC of regional operations and plans division of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).
Anti-drug operations resulted in the arrest of 4,163 persons and the filing of 5,327 cases in court, according to the report of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group.
A total of 115 high value targets were arrested, including five government officials.
Supt. Arnel Banzon, officer-in-charge of the regional operations and plans division PRO-7, presented an overview of peace and order in Central Visayas.
He reported an increase in total crime volume from January to November this year.
Of the 86,374 crimes this year, 58,996 of them were recorded in the police blotter while the rest were reported from barangays and other law enforcement agencies.
In index crimes, he reported a decrease of theft cases by 16.3 percent and 13.3 percent for robbery, while there was an increase by 15 percent of physical injury cases.
In the campaign against loose firearms, 956 persons were arrested, 1,468 loose firearms were confiscated and 944 cases were filed in court.
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