BACOLOD City – Four drug groups in this city and the province of Negros Occidental remain active despite the rigorous operations of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (PDEA-6) and Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
In Panay Island, on the other hand, no new organized drug groups emerged since the death of two drug lords in 2016 and 2017, said PDEA-6 director Alex Tablate.
Some members of these four groups in Negros were remnants of previous groups that were neutralized, according to Tablate.
“We are focusing on these four groups, but we could not determine how strong ang kanilang grupo kasi may mga remnants pa rin ang mga dati na grupo,” Tablate said.
“They are using new faces to deliver illegal drugs kasi kung mga dati na members madali natin mahuli kasi may holdings tayo ng kanilang pangalan at minamanmanan natin ang bawat kilos nila,” he added.
But they have already identified some members of these groups, Tablate revealed.
He, however, refused to name the drug groups so as not to jeopardize PDEA and police operations.
Tablate also affirmed that they have constant communication with the PRO-6 as far as assessment and review of all drug groups operating in their areas of responsibility is concerned.
PDEA-6 and PRO-6 are maximizing their personnel to the field, Tablate said.
“We are gathering information fed to us by people in communities and from our arrested drug suspects. That’s why we sometimes seize big volumes of drugs,” added the PDEA-6 director.
Tablate also emphasized that this city and Negros Occidental are still the “main sources” of illicit substances.
“Naghina ang drug proliferation in Panay Islad, especially Iloilo, after the two drug lords were killed,” Tablate said, referring to Melvin Odicta Sr. (killed in August 2016) and Richard Prevendido (killed in September 2017).
“Kung may nahuli man tayo, mga maliliit lang at base sa kanilang revelation, their sources are Bacolod City and Negros Occidental,” he added.
Odicta was gunned down by unidentified armed men on Aug. 29, 2016 at the Caticlan Jetty Port in Malay, Aklan while and Prevendido died in a shootout with policemen on Sept. 1, 2017 in Barangay Balabago, Jaro, Iloilo City./PN
