TAGBILARAN CITY — The chief of Bohol’s provincial police has lamented the extent of the drug problem in the province.
In a press conference with members of the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) press corps, Senior Supt. Angeles Geñorga said on Friday afternoon that the huge amount of drugs seized by his men recently made him realize that a lot needs to be done to deal with the province’s drug problem.
Personnel of the Provincial Intelligence Branch and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, armed with a search warrant, raided the residence of suspect Joseph Alburadora in Barangay Mansasa on Wednesday and seized 945 grams of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) worth PHP11 million.
Geñorga said his men were shocked to find the huge volume of drugs as they never expected the suspect to have such a big stock in his possession.
The BPPO chief said the suspect allegedly received a kilogram of shabu from his suppliers but already managed to sell some of the stash prior to the raid.
This development, Geñorga said, only shows the huge market for drugs in Bohol and the need to work on demand reduction to eliminate the problem.
A kilo of shabu can be repacked into approximately 40,000 smaller packs, which will then be sold to small players in the drug trade operating near and around the city, he said.
Geñorga, on the other hand, said he is happy with the successful implementation of the Enhanced Managing Police Operations (EMPO), which resulted in the arrest of 45 persons, including Alburadora, in different parts of the province.
About 1.87 kg. of shabu with a total street value of PHP11,810,266 were seized from the suspects upon the implementation of the EMPO this week.
Geñorga said they are also verifying the information that an inmate of the Bohol District Jail (BDJ) is allegedly supervising Alburadora’s drug trade from inside the prison facility.
The Cybercrime Division is also conducting a forensic investigation on Alburadora’s mobile gadgets to establish the connection between the suspect and the BDJ inmate.
Meanwhile, the BPPO has already finalized its operational and security plan for the upcoming observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
Geñorga said BPPO personnel will be deployed to main transportation hubs and tourist information desks, and will beef up security in major cemeteries across the province. (Dave Albarado/PNA)
