10 ‘DRUGGIES’ YIELD: Espenido eyes more operations as 15-day ultimatum to drug suspects ends

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido, head of City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) said on Sunday that more operations will be conducted against drug suspects starting this month, following the end of the 15-day ultimatum he issued in January 2020.

In a phone interview with Daily Guardian, Espenido said he will no longer talk to or entertain drug personalities who wish to surrender after January.

He said the ultimatum gave him positive results with the surrender of 10 drug personalities in the past two weeks.

“May nag-surrender at may nahuli din, pero mostly maraming nag-surrender,” he added.

Espenido, however, refused to provide any information about the surrenderers, claiming their identities are confidential.

“Malalaman niyo lang pag tapos na ako sa Bacolod,” he said.

The CDEU has arrested some drug suspects in Banago village last month and seized more than P500,000 worth of suspected shabu in two separate buy-bust operations.

Earlier, Espenido, also the deputy city director for operations of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said that the bulk of shabu here was traced to Banago, where he previously conducted a “pulong-pulong” with residents to urge those engaging in the illegal drugs to surrender.

He said that it only shows the efforts of the police in the anti-illegal drug campaign.

He said he is scheduled to talk to other drug suspects who surrendered last month when he returned to Bacolod after he attended court hearings in Ozamis and Leyte.

When asked if they would be more aggressive in their police operations, Espenido said they will conduct a normal police operation.

“Aggressive naman lahat. Wala namang joke-joke pag sa police. Serious tayo. Hindi naman puwede na i-relax ang panghuli,” he added.

Last month, Espenido warned drug personalities to cooperate as he will run after them starting February.

While his earlier warning somehow garnered mixed reactions from the public, Espenido assured them that they will still follow the rule of law and that it will not be bloody as what the public is thinking.

Espenido has become a controversial figure in the government’s war against illegal drugs with the deaths of high profile personalities linked to illegal drugs in his previous areas of assignment such as Albuera, Leyte and Ozamiz City in Mindanao.