BY VICTOR REYES
POLICE operatives seized 89 kilos of shabu worth P605.2 million in another major anti-drug operation in Zamboanga City last Sunday morning, PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said yesterday.
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, Nartatez said the interdiction operation also resulted in the arrest of three drug peddlers, all Filipinos, of legal age.
Nartatez referred to the operation as a “major breakthrough” in the fight against illegal drugs.
He said the operation was conducted by the PNP in coordination with “partner law enforcement agencies” in Barangay Rio Hondo.
Aside from the shabu, which was concealed in Chinese tea bags, also seized during the operation were a vehicle and four ice chests used in the transport of the contraband.
The successful operation came after authorities seized 67 kilos of shabu worth P455.6 million in Barangay Bunguiao, also in Zamboanga City, last August 19. The operation also led to the arrest of two drug peddlers.
Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta, director of the Zamboanga Peninsula police regional office, said the accomplishments highlight the commitment of the Zamboanga Peninsula police in eradicating the problem of illegal drugs in the region.
“We will continue to intensify our operations to ensure the safety and security of our communities,” said Matta in a statement.
During the press briefing at Camp Crame, Nartatez also announced other PNP accomplishments throughout the country from August 22 to 28.
Specifically, he noted the arrest of 1,059 wanted persons, including four Chinese who were nabbed in Agusan del Sur, along with nine Filipinos, for violation of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
“These are just some of the operations that highlight our continuing enforcement of the law for the safety of the public, in line with the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for a disciplined, responsive, and humane police service,” said Nartatez.
