Five suspected drug pushers were killed and 95 drug suspects were rounded up as Bulacan police operatives launched simultaneous operations across the province on Wednesday.
The fatalities were killed in separate buy-bust operations in four areas of Bulacan.
Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat, Bulacan provincial police director, identified the slain suspects as Arwin Dave Martin and a certain “Popeye,” both killed in San Jose del Monte City; Sonny Pablo Torres, slain in Malolos City; Rommel Mercado, felled in Sta. Maria town; and Christian Abarquez, gunned down in Calumpit town.
The latest fatalities in the fight against illegal drug couriers surfaced following the renewed participation of the Philippine National Police in drug operations on orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, but only as backed-up force to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the lead office tasked to eradicate illegal drugs.
The killings also led to the arrest of the 95 drug users and pushers, as police served three search warrants, three arrest warrants, 53 buy-bust operations, and staged interdiction efforts through the operatives of 23 police stations in Bulacan.
At the height of the PNP drug operations dubbed “Oplan Tokhang” last year, particularly in August, the Bulacan police recorded its highest number of killed drug users and pushers with 32 suspects felled in just one day—which President Duterte described as “that’s good.”
Recovered during the operations were 277 pieces of heated-sealed plastics of suspected shabu totaling 170.949 grams, 12 sachets of dried marijuana leaves weighing 21.86 grams, nine assorted firearms, 93 assorted bullets, and a hand grenade.
Provincial police continue to monitor suspected drug personalities operating in the province in an attempt to stamp out the proliferation of prohibited substances in Bulacan, Caramat said.
Last Jan. 4, a suspected drug pusher and six others were also arrested in a buy-bust conducted by San Jose del Monte City Police in Bulacan at Barangay San Rafael 4.
Caramat identified the suspects as Jaime Alvarado, alias “Pusa;” Marvin Padernal, Romeo Dacili, Jerome Quibral, Jovito Fernandez, Raymond Fami, and Leden Alimania, all of Block 12, Lot 53 in Barangay San Rafael 4.
Supt. Fitz Macariola, San Jose Del Monte police chief, said local police conducted the buy-bust at 2 a.m. against Alvarado with PDEA operatives as the six suspects were caught in the act during a pot session.
Seven pieces of heat-sealed sachets of shabu, buy-bust money and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the suspects.
Last Dec. 22, police arrested three drug traffickers during separate buy-bust operations in Pandi and San Rafael municipalities.
Caramat identified the suspects as Sherwin Manalaysay, alias ‘Putol,’ 35, of Rosal St.., Bgy. Sto. Niño, Pandi; James Daniel Santos ,28, of 21 Manuel G. Santos St., Bgy. Poblacion, Pandi; and Precious Joy Trinidad, 18, jobless, of Bgy. Tambubong, San Rafael.
Caramat said Manalaysay was arrested by undercover officers of the Pandi Police Drug Enforcement Unit under Chief Insp. Manuel de Vera Jr. in his neighborhood at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
Seized from the suspect were a plastic sachet containing P500 worth of shabu and the marked P500 bill paid to him by a poseur. Trinidad was arrested after she sold a packet of shabu to an undercover officer under Supt. Laurente Acquiot at 11 p.m. She yielded five plastic sachets of shabu.
They are now facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, said Caramat.
