Following Manila Mayor Lito Atienza's directive to crack down on the illegal drug trade, the Western Police District (WPD) conducted a week-long anti-narcotics drive and arrested 91 drug suspects and confiscated more than 500 grams of shabu worth P1 million.
WPD director Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon reported to Atienza that elements of 11 WPD police stations as well as the WPD Special Operations Group, the District Drug Enforcement Group and the Mayor's Office Anti-Crime Unit participated.
"This is the direct result of our intensified campaign against illegal drugs. We are sending a strong message to these merchants of death: get out or get caught," Atienza declared.
Earlier, Atienza ordered the WPD not to make any distinction based on the quantity of drugs confiscated from them whether arrested suspects were pushers or users . "It does not matter whether the amount of drugs confiscated from a suspect is two grams or 200 grams. Basta nahuling nagbebenta, pusher iyan. And we will use everything in the book to pin them down," he explained.
The biggest haul was made by the WPD Special Operations Group under Superintendent Napoleon Taas, which found 400 grams of shabu left for pick up at the package counter of a department store in Manila
According to Taas, the manager of the department store called up his unit to report that a plastic bag containing the illegal substance had been left unclaimed for two days already. Upon receiving the report, he immediately dispatched a team from his unit to retrieve the package. Taas said that they are withholding the names of the department store and the manager pending the result of follow-up operations.