This time, no shots fired as QCPD antidrug crackdown nets 30

With the police back in the front seat of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) arrested 30 suspects in a series of operations from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday.

But unlike in previous operations that added to the war’s death toll, there were no shots fired or blood spilled as the QCPD recovered over P650,000 worth of illegal drugs and several firearms and rounds of ammunition from the suspects.

Seventeen of the suspects were arrested as teams armed with search warrants raided three houses serving as drug dens in Barangay Bahay Toro in Project 8.

On Wednesday, alleged drug den maintainers Jayson Nogra, 31; Dionisio Sexciona, 39, and Eduardo Cabite, 53, were caught along with 14 alleged drug users who frequented their homes on Sinagtala Street.

The Bahay Toro operation launched by the newly formed District Drug Enforcement Unit recovered over 45 sachets of suspected “shabu,” drug paraphernalia, a hand grenade, a .22-caliber revolver and several bullets for different firearms.

Three buy-bust operations also resulted in the arrest of seven drug suspects at Bartskie 81 Apartelle on Payatas Road.

They allegedly yielded a stash of shabu with an estimated street value of P600,000, as well as four handguns.

Five more men also suspected to be drug users were arrested on Victory Avenue in Barangay Tatalon around 7:40 p.m.

Police said Jhon Mark Tacpil, 29; Cristony Cañada, 32; Arnold Velasco, 40; Solliare Katiang, 41, and Marcelito Vasquez, 43, were also believed to be robbers who prowled the streets on motorbikes and targeted commuters.

A .45-cal. pistol and P10,000 worth of shabu were confiscated from the group.

In Barangay E. Rodriguez, live-in partners Eduardo Quodala, 42, and Arlyne Joy Villamil, 30, as well as suspected drug pusher Alex Villanueva, 44, were arrested shortly past midnight on Thursday in separate operations on Imperial Street.

Thirteen sachets of suspected shabu were recovered from the three, the QCPD said.—JHESSET O. ENANO