MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Saturday said it had neutralized the 10th drug den in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) since January, boosting its campaign in the region known to have the most number of drug-related incidents.
In a statement, PDEA said the den was operated by Musa Mang, a “drug personality” on its watch list, and his wife, Bai Mang, although the agency did not provide specifics on that operation.
PDEA Director General Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. said PDEA’s intensified efforts to neutralize drug dens and “tiangge,” or flea markets, nationwide was made in compliance with the marching orders of
President Benigno Aquino III when Gutierrez assumed office in January.
The agency said the presence of drug dens was most prevalent in Mindanao, which accounted for half the total number of drug dens PDEA had discovered since the beginning of the year – 10 in the ARMM, two in Region 9, and one each in Regions 10, 11, and 12.
On the other hand, Luzon and the Visayas each accounted for six neutralized drug dens – five in Region 6, one in Region 7, three each in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Metro Manila.
PDEA said syndicates operated these drug dens as “accessible facilities to transact illegal drug business and present a convenient place where clients can consume the drugs they purchased, all in one place.”
Tiangge, on the other hand, are drug dens clustered in one area or location, it said.
PDEA records showed that since the start of the year, it had neutralized 20 independent drug dens and three clusters of 10 drug dens. The operations led to the arrest of 109 drug personalities, including owners and operators, as well as clients.
“Based on records, these drug dens and tiangges used to cater to an average of 700 clients a day with an estimated aggregate daily income of P2.08 million,” PDEA said.