Cops clean up ranks, go after drug pushers

See what a little “house cleaning” can do.

In a bid to overcome rumors that they were coddling drug pushers in the area, policemen in Tondo, Manila, arrested last week seven people believed to be involved in the drug trade.

The arrests were made after officials of the Manila Police District’s Station 7 on Jose Abad Santos Avenue relieved the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit (SAID) chief and his men.

In a report to Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, station commander Superintendent Roderick Devilles Mariano said they arrested seven Tondo residents for illegal drugs from February 4 to 10.

They were identified as Marvin Rubo, 30; Virgilio Garcia, 54; Rolando Dacanay, 21; Carlos Flores, 42; Djastin Lopez, 19; Jeran Soriano, 27; and Reynaldo Torres, 35.

The seven all face complaints of violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Dangerous Drugs Act, Mariano said.

One of them, Flores, has been charged with murder for the death of Sherwin Enriquez on August 16 last year in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

The antidrug operations and the relief of the station’s SAID unit came after a tabloid accused the team of coddling drug dealers.

“The news clipping in a tabloid picturing this station as having given drug pushers permission to do their illegal activities… [was meant to] besmirch [our good reputation] and cease the effective police operations being implemented, particularly in anti-illegal drugs operations, in coordination with barangay (village) officials within our area of responsibility,” Mariano said in his report to Lim.