P353M worth of illegal drugs seized in Bicol in 2019

LEGAZPI CITY –– The anti-narcotics operatives in the Bicol region seized P353 million worth of illegal drugs from various operations last year, authorities said Saturday.

Police Major Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson of Bicol police, said the operations resulted in the confiscation of 4,703 sachets of “shabu” (crystal meth) weighing 1,839.32 grams with a street value of P12,507,376.

Cocaine weighing 53,052.33 grams amounting to P281,177,349, and at least 164 sachets of marijuana were also recovered.

A total of 1,385 pushers and 42 users were arrested, while 47 were killed in the operations.

The campaign against drugs has led to the declaration of 1,069 barangays in the region as drug cleared.

“We will continue to make efforts to reach out to the remaining 1,717 affected barangays,” Calubaquib said in a report.

Police also seized 102 firearms and P7,363,152.85 cash during drug stings.

In separate operations led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Bicol, 8,751.528 grams of shabu worth P59,510,390.4 and 11.7638 grams of marijuana worth P1,411.656 were seized, Cotton Yuson, information officer said.

PDEA-Bicol also collared 108 suspected drug personalities.

“Most of them were drug pushers, while users were arrested in drug dens,” Yuson added./lzb