150 cops, soldiers raid Cavite drug hotspot

MANILA – A large group of soldiers and policemen raided early on Friday a community in Dasmariñas, Cavite reputed to be a den of drug users and pushers. Around 150 personnel from the Cavite Police, the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB), Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) swooped down on several houses in Barangay Datu Esmael, resulting in the arrest of at least 10 suspects. A military tank was also used in the raid. Superintendent Romano Cardiño, intelligence chief of the Cavite police, said authorities recovered sachets of suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), drug paraphernalia and undetermined amount of cash from five houses. Police said several surveillance cameras installed around the community may have alerted some suspects on the arrival of law enforcers. The raid was carried out by virtue of a search warrant issued by Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 27 Judge Cynthia Marino-Ricablanca. – reports from Jerome Lantin, ABS-CBN News; and Eric Dastas, dzMM