Tacloban police warns surrendered personalities to completely abandon illegal drugs

TACLOBAN CITY, July 30 (PNA) -- The city police here warned self confessed drug personalities in the city not to use “Oplan Tokhang” as a ploy to evade arrest during anti-illegal drug operations.

The stern warning, came after Rolando Ramirez, resident of Sabang district, and one among those who voluntarily surrendered under "Oplan Tokhang" was arrested in a buy bust operation on Friday.

Confiscated from the suspect was a small plastic sachet of suspected shabu, 10 pieces of big and medium size sachets with suspected shabu, a motorcycle, a mobile phone, lighter and PHP400 marked money.

The suspect is now detained at Tacloban City Police Office Custodial Facility while charges has been filed in court.

Sr. Supt. Rolando Bade said that many of those self confessed drug personalities surrendered mainly because of that desire to stay alive and to some they wanted to use “Oplan Tokhang” as a strategy to hid their illegal drug trade activities from the police.

“However, it is not a guarantee as we will continue to monitor their activities to make sure that they completely abandon illegal drugs,” Bade added.

Self confessed drug users and pushers who voluntary surrendered at police station were made to sign a commitment form and promised to stop their involvement in illegal drug operations either as drug dealers, peddlers, runners or users.

Records from the Tacloban police showed that some of its more than 600 surrendered drug personalities under “Oplan Tokhang” has no pending warrant, however, for those with pending warrants, they will immediately be turned over to the courts for proper disposition of their cases.

Oplan Tokhang, a combination of Bisayan phrase “toktok-hangyo,” is part of a nationwide campaign of the police to ask drug personalities to stop their illegal activity as the law enforcers are going to run after them. (PNA)

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