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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Pampanga solon says big-time drug hauls give province a 'bad image'; calls for House probe

Pampanga solon says big-time drug hauls give province a 'bad image'; calls for House probe

Published Sep 29, 2023 08:12 am

At A Glance

  • Bothered by the spate of big time hauls of illegal drugs in his province, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. bared plans Friday, Sept. 29 to pursue a House probe in order to find out where the contraband has been coming from. 

P3.6 billion shabu seized in Mexico, Pampanag on Sept. 27

The 530-kilo "shabu" confiscated in Mexico town, Pampanga (MANILA BULLETIN)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bothered by the spate of big-time hauls of illegal drugs in his province, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. bared plans Friday, Sept. 29 to pursue a House probe in order to find out where the contraband has been coming from. 

“We are saddened and alarmed by this turn of events in our beloved province, one of the growth centers in Central Luzon. Pampanga is not known as the home ground of drug traffickers, but the latest drug confiscations are giving it a bad image," Gonzales said in a statement. 

The House leader said he wants to "nip the problem in the bud". He will file a House resolution to to formally ask for the inquiry. 

Gonzales made these statements a day after Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed that the authorities have seized 530 kilos of "shabu"--also known as poor man's cocaine--in a warehouse in Mexico town. 

Remulla said the contraband entered the country through the Subic Freeport and those behind the shipment, including some foreigners, were still being pursued. 

Gonzales said the incident in Mexico was the latest in a series of drug confiscations in Pampanga. 

Late last month, police reportedly recovered 200 kilos of shabu in a vehicle abandoned in the parking lot of a supermarket in Barangay Mabiga, City of Mabalacat, he said. 

“The estimated street value of the contraband is staggering - P3.6 billion for the seized shabu in Mexico and P1.3 billion for the Mabalacat shabu,” said the senior deputy speaker. 

Gonzales noted that he and other lawmakers would be interested in finding out who were the persons involved in the drug shipments, how these entered the country, and where the illegal substances were being distributed. 

The Pampanga lawmaker pointed out that the recent confiscations highlight the extent of the illegal drug problem in the country. 

He called for the revocation of business permits of Subic Freeport locators involved in the entry of contraband and the warehouses and other business establishments where the shipments were hidden and seized. 

Meanwhile, he commended thw law enforcement agencies involved in seizing shabu in Mexico, Mabalacat and other areas, including the interception of shabu worth more than P400 million along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Pampanga in mid-2022. 

Gonzales urged these agencies and local and barangay officials to strengthen and heighten their surveillance and monitoring of drug traffickers and other lawless elements in their areas. 

“The drug problem and other illegal activities are a concern of both the national government and local government units (LGUs),” he said.

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