Calabarzon yields P9.8B illegal drugs; 6,269 captured in 6 months

Calabarzon yields P9.8B illegal drugs; 6,269 captured in 6 months. FILE/STOCK

LUCENA CITY — About P9.8 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized by policemen in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region in the first six months of 2024.

During the 4,866 anti-illegal drug operations conducted from Jan. 1 to July 2, at least 6,269 suspects were arrested and charged for violating the country’s anti-drug law, the Police Regional Office 4A (PRO-4A) Public Information Office (PIO) said in a report on Thursday, July 4.

During the period, the anti-narcotics operatives seized 1,442,568.49 grams of shabu (crystal meth) and 21,794.90 grams of marijuana, with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of P9,813,102,504, according to the PIO report.

READ: Calabarzon bust: illegal drugs worth P9.7B seized in April

Cavite topped the list with 1,509 operations and arrests of 1,998 drug suspects during the period.

This was followed by Laguna with 1,253 operations and arrest of 1,549 suspects; Batangas, 846 operations and 962 suspects; Rizal, 728 operations and 1,124 suspects; and Quezon, 530 operations and 646 suspects busted.

Batangas policemen recorded the highest volume of illegal drugs seized during the period with a total DDB value of P9,698,645,537.

On top of the successful operations in Batangas was the interception by police in Alitagtag town of a van carrying 1.4 tons of shabu worth P9.68 billion on April 15.

Cavite policemen logged the second highest volume of seized shabu and marijuana worth P39,873,859; followed by Rizal, P37,237,040; Laguna, P21,283,198; and Quezon, P16,062,868.