Drug syndicates operating in PH won’t prosper: Palace

MANILA — Drug syndicates who have been persistently trying to smuggle shabu into the Philippines will never win against the Duterte administration, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement after the Philippine National Police (PNP) seized PHP2.5 billion worth of shabu from a Chinese national during a buy-bust operation in Makati City on Tuesday night.

“Kahit na tuloy ang (Oplan) Tokhang, ‘yung mga sindikato, gumagawa ng paraan iyan para makapasok. (Despite the implementation of Oplan Tokhang, the syndicates are making a way to enter the country),” he said in an interview over state-run Radyo Pilipinas.

“Sa akin, ang mahalaga, nahuhuli rin natin eh, natutuklas din natin. Kahit na anong gawin nilang maniobra diyan, magagaling naman ang mga operatiba natin (What’s important to me is we’re able to arrest them and discover their illegal act. They may be doing a good maneuver, but our operatives are doing great),” he added.

Around 371 kilograms of shabu, one of the largest haul of illegal drugs in 2019, were discovered inside an apartment unit in San Antonio village in Makati City on Tuesday night, according to a spot report by the PNP-Drug Enforcement Group.

In an interview with dzMM, PNP officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa said the buy-bust operation led to the arrest of a Chinese national identified as Liu Chao.

The suspect, who has been staying at the rented apartment for two weeks, was arrested after selling shabu to a poseur buyer.

Police are now investigating how the illegal drugs were transported to Makati City,

Panelo was confident that the PNP is on top of the situation to stop drug proliferation in the country.

“Eh alam na ng PNP ang gagawin nila diyan. Hindi naman nagpapabaya iyang mga iyan (The PNP knows what needs to be done. It will not neglect its duty),” he said.

The PNP has been implementing Oplan Tokhang, a knock-and-plead initiative that is under Oplan Double Barrel.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the suspension of the Oplan Tokhang twice in 2017 after it had been associated with the killings of drug personalities allegedly at the hands of the responding police officers.

The President later on ordered its resumption with new safeguards.