Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar on Wednesday said he was in favor of death as the capital punishment for individuals engaged in drug dealing.
“It will be a big deterrent for those who are involved in transacting big volume of drugs,” said Eleazar.
But he said the death penalty was good but it must be in a holistic approach.
“There must be some interventions, other interventions as well as safeguards in order for it not to be abused and used against innocent people. In the case of illegal drugs, it must be the big time members of the syndicates who are actually distributing large amount of illegal drugs. They should be the one covered the penalty,” added Eleazar.
Eleazar made the statement following the arrest of 65-year old suspected member of drug syndicate caught with P10.2 million worth of shabu in Pateros late Tuesday afternoon.
The National Capital Region Police Office arrested Angelo Reyes, alias “Litong Pangit”, during police anti-drug operation along Alley 22 in Barangay Sta. Ana around 5:30 pm.
Police recovered 1,500 grams of shabu, 10 bundles of P1,000 boodle money equivalent to P1 million, a weighing scale, and a Toyoya Altis car used by the suspect to deliver the illegal substance during the operation.
Prior to the police operation, the authorities placed the suspect under a week-long surveillance following information about his illegal activity.
Eleazar said the suspect is connected to a group of Chinese nationals engaged in the illegal drug trade operating in the southern part of Metro Manila and in the province of Laguna.
“We will be conducting follow-up operations in order to find the other suppliers of illegal drugs. We have some information and we will identify the clients and the suppliers of the suspect,” he said.
The government under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing a measure bringing back the death penalty against criminal elements, especially those engaged in drug trafficking.
Drug dealing and its use remain the serious concern of the government.
Late last week, government agents seized 146 kilos of shabu found at the warehouse of Goldwin Commercial in Malabon City.
The contraband was part of a three 20-foot container van shipment of 51,000 kilos of tapioca starch from Cambodia exported by HKSTC Trading Co. Ltd. abandoned at the Manila International Container Port in North Harbor last March.
