A TOTAL of 5,722 suspected drug users and pushers have been killed since the Duterte administration launched its war against illegal drugs in July 2016.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said that from from July 1, 2016 to May 31, 2020, anti-illegal drugs agents have also arrested 245,135 individuals involved in illegal drug activities in 168,525 operations nationwide.
Of those arrested, 261 were foreigners, 320 were elected officials, 90 law enforcers, 376 government employees, 2,697 “listed targets,” 735 members of a drug group, 10 celebrities/prominent personalities, 217 persons listed as “wanted,” 902 drug den maintainers, 62 armed group members, and 3,680 were arrested in high-impact operations.
Anti-illegal drug operatives have also cleared 18,582 of the country’s 42,045 barangays of illegal drugs, while 546 drug dens and 14 secret shabu labs have been dismantled during the same period.
Anti-illegal drug operations led to the recovery of 5,612.73 kilograms of shabu valued at P34.18 billion and 523.11 kilograms of cocaine, 51,147 pieces of ecstacy tablets, and 3,065.18 kilograms of dried marijuana leaves.
Authorities were also able to rescue 3,160 children aged four to 17 involved in illegal drugs, of which 1,760 were pushers, two marijuana cultivators,152 visitors of a drug den, eight drug den maintainers, 11 drug den employees, 380 illegal drug users, one runner, and 846 in possession of illegal drugs.
Four persons were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Marikina City on Wednesday night.
Col. Restituto Arcangel, local police chief, identified the four as Angelo Azul, 32; Mary Ann Beragsang, 31; Joel Vinson, 29; and Amirudin Abdulmagid, 18, residents of Barangay Parang.
Recover from them were 75 grams of suspected shabu worth P510,000. — With Christian Oineza
