P23M illegal drugs seized in 2019 in Region 12

KORONADAL CITY –– Some P23 million worth of illicit drugs were seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in 2019.

In a news conference, PDEA 12 director Naravy Duquiatan said the seized drugs came from more than 1,000 anti-drug operations in the provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and the cities of General Santos, Tacurong, Kidapawan, Koronadal, and Cotabato.

In these law enforcement drives, about 1,100 suspects were arrested and two big-time drug syndicates busted, Duquiatan added.

Duquiatan also said that PDEA was keeping a close watch on at least five drug rings in the region.

On Wednesday, anti-narcotics and police operatives dismantled a drug den that they stumbled upon while conducting a buy-bust operation in Barangay Apopong, General Santos City.

Duquiatan said the law enforcers were only after Kim Bautista, 28, who was peddling illegal drugs along Purok Ilang-Ilang of Apopong.

After he handed over the stuff to a poseur-buyer, Bautista, a resident of Polomolok, South Cotabato, was arrested while in the house of Aldrico Lubaton in Apopong.

It turned out that the house where Bautista was arrested was a drug den. Nabbed inside the drug den owned by Lubaton were Jimrueal Dumanjog, 28, Princess Aquino, 22, and Ian Paul Escobanez, 21, all residents of Polomolok.

Seized inside the drug den were five sachets of suspected shabu and paraphernalia for using shabu.

All the five suspects are now detained at the PDEA detention facility, while charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against them.

Edited by LZB