2 Davao City cops involved in illegal drug trade nabbed

DAVAO CITY — Two city policemen were arrested last Thursday night for allegedly being involved in a big-time syndicate distributing illegal drugs here.

PO3 Arnold Dechavez and PO2 Ayao were arrested a few hours after Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ordered them detained for allegedly working for a suspected drug lord who was killed here last Oct. 4.

"We were just gathering enough evidence on their activities and we found out that they themselves had also been distributing shabu," Duterte said.

Ayao and Dechavez, both of the San Pedro police station, were allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade of a certain Luis Francisco, who was killed while inspecting a housing project in a posh subdivision here.

The two policemen were also said to have assisted a Central Mindanao mayor in sneaking in 3.5 kilos of shabu into the city last month.

Meanwhile, authorities said shabu is most expensive here than in other areas in Mindanao or even Metro Manila.

Wilkins Villanueva, Region 11 chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, said shabu fetches as much as P5,000 to P6,000 a gram here compared to P3,000 to P3,500 in other Mindanao cities such as Ozamiz, Marawi, Cotabato, Iligan, Cagayan, Zamboanga, and General Santos.

Duterte has had a no-nonsense campaign against illegal drugs.

"You put your life on the line when you get into the illegal drug business. And if you put up a shabu laboratory here, it would mean massacre," he said.

Last Tuesday, Duterte accused Mayor Talib Abu of Parang, Maguindanao of being involved in a syndicate distributing illegal drugs in Southern and Central Mindanao.

Duterte identified Abu during the regular session of the city council. Abu denied Duterte’s claims.

Villanueva said local authorities are working hard to bring down not only the supply but also the demand for shabu in this part of the country.

"That is why we are working hard on educating our young ones on the evils of drug addiction as an important part of our campaign against illegal drugs," he said.

Duterte pushed for the inclusion of drug education as a mandatory subject in the city’s high schools to make children aware of the evils of drug addiction.