More than 50 suspected drug pushers, illegal gamblers and wanted persons were arrested in a series of big-time operations conducted by the Batangas Police Provincial Office in the province over the weekend.
Police Col. Glicerio Cansilao, director of the Batangas provincial police, said the series of operations were part of the intensified campaign against criminal elements and anti-crime operations in the province under the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality and Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO)
On Saturday, Feb. 19, a total of 18 people were arrested when the local police raided several illegal gambling sites in the province. A total of P3,764 bets were seized in the operations.
On the same day, Cansilao said a total of 15 wanted persons were collared, including fugitives who are listed in the municipal and city most wanted persons.
Among them were Rolando Cayongyong, who is number 7 in the wanted list of Lipa City for a case of frustrated murder; Jeffery Bacay who is ranked number 9 in the most wanted list of Bauan town; Mark Eugene Enriquez, who is ranked number 3 in Lipa City most wanted list; Felix Elnar, ranked number 10 in Sto. Tomas City wanted list; and, Jose Baatucan, ranked number 8 in the wanted list of Sto. Tomas City.
A total of 20 suspected drug pushers, on the other hand, were collared in different buy-bust operations in the province also on Saturday.
Four of them were arrested in Sto. Tomas City while four each in Lemery and San Luis towns; two suspected drug pushers were also collared in Lipa City and two more in Mabini town. The rest were collared in Batangas City, Bauan, Rosario and Ibaan.
A total of 21 grams of shabu and almost 11 grams of marijuana with a total street value of P144,000 were confiscated.