The Philippine National Police reported on Monday a series of arrests and seizures carried out nationwide during a 24-hour period from the morning of Feb. 1 to Feb. 2, as part of its ongoing anti-crime, anti-drug, and anti-smuggling campaign.
Police said 13 individuals tagged as high-value targets or most wanted persons were taken into custody in separate operations across several regions, involving cases ranging from murder and rape to robbery with homicide.
Among those arrested were suspects wanted for murder in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Bulacan, as well as individuals facing multiple counts of statutory rape in Tarlac, Albay, and Surigao del Norte, according to police reports.
At the same time, authorities seized an estimated P25 million worth of illegal drugs in coordinated anti-narcotics operations, including the confiscation of suspected shabu from a high-value individual in Zamboanga City.
In the Cordillera region, police units also conducted marijuana eradication drives, destroying plantation sites in Benguet and Kalinga that yielded tens of thousands of marijuana plants and dried leaves.
The uprooted plants and recovered materials were documented and destroyed on site, with samples submitted for laboratory examination, police said.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the operations were part of the police force’s focused agenda to address high-impact crimes and illegal drugs, adding that coordination among regional and local units remained central to law enforcement efforts.
