THE DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) maintained on Wednesday that no illegal drug laboratories are operating within its bounds, attributing recent high-value seizures to the command’s intensified anti-criminality campaign and strict border controls.
During the weekly Davao Peace and Security Press Corps media briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, DCPO spokesperson Captain Hazel Caballero explained that while illegal drugs are still being intercepted, the supply originates from outside.
“Let us be clear: there is no illegal drug laboratory here in Davao City. These substances are smuggled into our area through controlled borders or via the sea,” Caballero said. “We are doing our best to, if not zero out, at least minimize the presence of illegal drugs in the city.”
Caballero noted that the crackdown on drugs is a top directive from the city police director, as drug use is often a primary driver of “focus crimes” or index crimes.
The spokesperson addressed public concern following a series of successful operations last week, where police seized over P1.5 million worth of suspected shabu in back-to-back buy-bust operations in Barangay San Antonio, Matina, and Barangay Ma-a.
“The success of our anti-drug campaign does not mean that drug activity is rampant. It means our information dissemination is working,” Caballero explained. “Residents are now reporting suspicious activities to the nearest police station. We should not be worried; instead, this is a result of our intensified campaign.”
The police official credited the recent string of arrests to the “trusted intelligence” provided by the community and local barangay officials, who are often the first to detect illegal personalities in their neighborhoods.
Caballero emphasized that the high cost of illegal drugs in Davao is a reflection of the difficulty smugglers face in bringing supplies into the city.
Regardless of the quantity seized—whether a large volume or mere drug paraphernalia—the DCPO maintains a “no-nonsense” policy in filing cases under Republic Act 9165 (The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
“In our series of operations, we target both small-scale and large-scale players to ensure the safety of our communities,” she added.
