EDITORIAL - Big haul

The huge amount of illegal drugs confiscated by authorities the other day underscored Police Regional Office-7’s earlier pronouncement that its operatives are now concentrating on bigtime dealers in the heightened war against illegal drug trade.

In what was considered the biggest haul in recent months, a 25-year-old man yielded at least three kilos of shabu worth P39 million during a buy-bust operation by policemen in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City Sunday dawn.

Jeffrey Cabaron, considered by authorities as a high-value target, reportedly sold a large pack of shabu to an undercover agent during the operation. His name came up following the arrest of some pushers who identified him as their source of drugs.

During a Cebu Citizens-Press Council meeting last September, Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas, director of PRO-7, said as they intensify their campaign, they are currently focusing on major drugs suppliers in Central Visayas.

And Sinas made good his announcement as, for the past months, the police have made big hauls of illegal drugs, not only in Cebu City but in other areas of the region as well. This is just an indication that the anti-drug crusade of the government has shifted into high gear, at least in Central Visayas.

Of course, we have to give credit where credit is due, so therefore kudos to the police for a job well done. The public expects more success in the coming days as authorities bring the battle to a new level.

However, as the police have upped the ante in their drug crackdown, they should also need to increase their surveillance against the shipment of drugs into the region, especially as Metro Cebu is the largest market in the country outside Metro Manila.

Their earlier assurance that there is no laboratory in Cebu has led the public to believe that the drugs being sold here come from other areas, such as Ozamiz City. Unless there’s an urgent move thwarting the flow from the source, supply will continue finding its way into the province.