1,500 drug suspects now in Cocpo’s list

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

POLICE have so far identified over 1,500 people either using or dealing illegal drugs throughout Cagayan de Oro, and all of them are now targets in an impending campaign aimed at cutting the “umbilical cord” of the local drug trade, city police director Faro Antonio Olaguera revealed yesterday.

Senior Supt. Olaguera disclosed this as he met with representatives of various Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (Badac) to seek their help as the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) prepares for a citywide campaign against illegal drugs when President-elect Rodrigo Duterte assumes office next month.

Olaguera said Cocpo has estimated an average of 60 drug personalities per barangay in the city, excluding Carmen, Iponan, Lapasan, Macabalan, Consolacion, Puntod, Gusa, Tablon, Bugo, Puerto, Camaman-an, Nazareth, Macasandig, Kauswagan, and Bulua.

Olaguera said officials of the Cocpo, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and other groups that are into intelligence networking would sit down, compare notes, and validate their information before they launch “Operation Tokhang” (Toktok-Hangyo) which is going to be the pilot program of incoming National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa.

Authorities, he said, would go to the extent of literally knocking on doors in order to ask drug suspects to stop what they are doing, and prevent youth involvement in gangs in the barangay levels.

Olaguera said the impending campaign is designed to cut the “umbilical cords” between drug peddlers on the streets and the drug lords.

“A call to surrender is part of the plan… We’re still considering some legal aspects, but I’m sure that if everyone cooperates, there won’t be problems in the long term,” Olaguera said.