More shabu seized in 2020 amid enhanced community quarantine –NCRPO

More kilograms of shabu were confiscated in 2020 compared to 2019 as some pushers delivered drugs in bulk amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the National Capital Region Police Office said on Sunday.

Interviewed on Dobol sa News TV, NCRPO chief Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas said they confiscated around 25.2 million kilograms of shabu worth P171 million from March 15 to May 10.

“Mas marami pa kaming nahuhuling droga kaysa dati,” he said, explaining the confiscated shabu last year during the same period was only less than five kilograms.

According to Sinas, the confiscated shabu were drug supplies that had been held back since the implementation of the ECQ. He said pushers just recently released these stocks.

“Kaya napansin namin na parang bulto ang bigayan kasi ang delivery nito ay ‘yung mga Lalamove kung ano ano. Doon ‘yan sinisingit,” Sinas said.

Even before the implementation of the ECQ, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) discovered that couriers were using delivery apps to transport these illegal drugs.

Moreover, Sinas said the presence of checkpoints during the ECQ also helped in nabbing drug peddlers. He said most of them were arrested at checkpoints.

“Ang maganda sa ECQ na-empower ‘yung mga barangay officials at tanod. Alam na alam nila kung sino ang constituents nila. Kapag may bagong (tao) na papasok, sila ay nire-report,” he said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Chief for Operations Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday said the crime was down by 61 percent during the ECQ. — DVM, GMA News