ILOILO City – About 120 drug personalities had been arrested in Western Visayas since January, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported.
PDEA regional director Wardley Getalla said on Tuesday that 30 of the arrested drug personalities were high-value targets.
Getalla added that the drug personalities were apprehended after a series of drug operations that PDEA conducted in collaboration with the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies.
PDEA conducted 45 drug operations in January and 39 in February. There was no final count for March yet.
Getalla stressed that the biggest drug confiscation in a single operation they conducted so far was the 1 kilogram of shabu worth some P18 million at the Dumangas port on Jan. 28.
He also noted that the leaders of some big illegal drug groups in the region were already neutralized last year, including Melvin Odicta Sr. and Richard Prevendido.
The PDEA Region 6 head said they were still looking for the remnants the drug groups.
Getalla estimated that there are 10 to 20 drug groups that continue to operate in Western Visayas. (With a report from PNA/PN)
