Drug war: 67 killed during quarantine

MANILA, Philippines — Sixty-seven suspects have been killed in the government’s war on illegal drugs during the community quarantine.

Citing data from the government’s Real NumbersPH platform, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said 10,105 alleged drug dealers were arrested since the community quarantine was imposed in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.

Among those arrested is ”high-value” suspect Federico Oliveros, 38, alleged leader of a drug ring operating in Baguio City. He reportedly took over the reins of the syndicate when his father was convicted for illegal drugs and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined P10 million.

The raiding team said P400,000 worth of shabu was among those recovered from the house of the suspect in San Carlos Heights in Barangay Irisan on Tuesday.

At least 320 elected officials, 376 government employees and 90 uniformed personnel were also arrested in anti-drug operations during the quarantine.

A total of 5,722 drug suspects have been killed and 245,135 arrested since the government launched an all-out war against illegal drugs in 2016.

The government seized 212,653 kilos of shabu, cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy tablets valued at P43.58 billion in 168,525 operations across the country.

PDEA director general Wilkins Villanueva said they would speed up drug-clearing operations to end the problem before President Duterte steps down in 2022.

Villanueva said a technical working group that will monitor the implementation of a barangay drug-clearing program has been created.

The PDEA said 18,582 barangays nationwide have been cleared of illegal drugs.

At least   15,388 other villages remain drug-affected. Artemio Dumlao