OVER P237.8 million worth of illegal drugs and P25.8 million in smuggled goods were seized in a two-day operation from March 11-12, resulting in the arrest of most-wanted persons from Davao del Norte, Baguio City, South Cotabato, Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Sur, and regional-level suspects in Calabarzon and Laguna, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.
Their cases range from murder and statutory rape to violations of Republic Act (RA) 9165 and other criminal offenses.
Notable arrests include a top-six most wanted in Davao del Norte for murder, a top-four suspect in Baguio City facing twenty-two counts of RA 7610 violations, and a top-two most wanted in Misamis Oriental for statutory rape. Joint teams of local police, Regional Investigation Units, CIDG field units, and special action companies conducted the two-day operations. Some suspects were taken into custody without bail, while others face recommended bail ranging from P36,000 to P4.4 million.
During the anti-illegal drug operations, authorities confiscated 32,762 grams of suspected shabu, valued at P222.8 million, from high-value individuals in Quezon City, Butuan City, and Tawi-Tawi.
In Benguet and Kalinga, police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency teams uprooted more than 60,000 fully grown marijuana plants, seized over 23,900 grams of dried stalks, with an estimated market value of P15 million.
All five high-value individuals linked to these operations were arrested and are under proper custody for legal disposition.
In separate anti-smuggling operations, 11 Chinese nationals were apprehended in Pampanga for illegally importing batteries valued at over P19 million, while smuggled cigarettes worth over P6 million were seized in Zamboanga City.
