Roxas City police target three illegal drug hotspots

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – Police have intensified their campaign against illegal drugs in three barangays identified as priority areas for anti-drug operations in Roxas City.

Police Lt. Col. Rogelio Tomagtang Jr., chief of the Roxas Component City Police Station, identified the barangays as Punta Tabuc, Barangay VII and Barangay IX.

He said the three barangays were identified as illegal drug hotspots because of the reported proliferation of illegal drugs and the arrests of several suspected drug personalities.

Of the city’s 47 barangays, 20 have been classified as drug-cleared or drug-free, while 27 have yet to achieve drug-cleared status, according to earlier data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Tomagtang said police would continue to intensify anti-illegal drug operations in coordination with barangay officials to reduce, if not completely eradicate, illegal drug activities.

According to PDEA-Capiz, the 27 barangays that have yet to be declared drug-cleared remain subject to monitoring, validation and interventions under the government’s barangay drug-clearing program.

The classification does not necessarily mean that all 27 barangays are considered drug hotspots, as the designation of priority areas for police operations is based on specific intelligence and enforcement assessments.

In June 2026, PDEA-Capiz identified Punta Tabuc as an illegal drug hotspot because of the number of drug suspects arrested and suspected drug dens raided in the area.

Despite repeated law enforcement operations, authorities reported that illegal drug transactions continued in the barangay.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Capiz Police Provincial Office and PDEA, continue to conduct barangay drug-clearing assessments, buy-bust operations targeting street-level and high-value drug suspects, and community-based rehabilitation programs.

Police also emphasized the importance of cooperation among barangay officials, residents and law enforcement agencies in preventing illegal drug activities and maintaining the drug-cleared status of communities.