7 dead in Davao City anti-drug raids

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Seven suspected drug pushers were killed while 37 others were arrested in a city-wide anti-illegal drugs operation conducted by the joint forces of the local and national police.

The series of raids, dubbed as Coplan Kaagapay, was done for 6 hours by the Davao police, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency – from 11 pm of Tuesday, July 14, to Wednesday, July 15.

Director Benjamin Magalong, CIDG chief, was in the city to oversee the raids. He said the operation took two months of planning and surveillance and cost P500,000 to carry out.

The operatives confiscated 279.1 grams of shabu, with an estimated street value of P2.5 million. They also confiscated 13 firearms from Sta Ana, Talomo, San Pedro, Sasa, and Buhangin areas.

Magalong said the fact that the raids yielded small volumes of illegal drugs per suspect is a testament that syndicates had been having a hard time trading in Davao City. 

“Because of series of operations here, the previous volume has been scaled down. Before, we would seize one kilo [in a raid], but not anymore. It goes to show that they’re finding it difficult to transport drugs here,” Magalong said in a mix of Filipino and English.

The support of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was key to the successful police operations, the CIDG director said.

“So you behave here. Otherwise, leave Davao City. Authorities won’t stop until they get you here,” Magalong said in a message to drug syndicates.

Davao City Police Director Vicente Danao identified the fatalities in the raid as Jabar Aboul, Cyril Abinoja, Reynaldo Quindao, Nonoy Tiongko, Marvin Flores Vargas, Jerome Portolazo, and Dodong Quiba. 

Also on Tuesday, police forces conducted a series of anti-drug raids in Bacolod City, confiscating P2 million worth of shabu. – Rappler.com