No. 1 in Taguig drug 'hotlist' nabbed

The long arms of the law have finally caught up on the most wanted person in Taguig's Top 10 Illegal Drug Target Personalities.

Michael Benito R. Tan, a.k.a. Butch, was arrested late last week in a buy-bust operation set up by anti-drug operatives of the Taguig City police in front of 267 MLQ St., Barangay Bagumbayan.

Tan is listed as No. 1 in the Top 10 drug hotlist of Taguig, and his apprehension follows that of Richard Silvestre (No. 4), Isidro Llagas (No. 7), Mardie Talampas (No. 8), Jackie Abone (No. 2) and Rawie Castro (No. 5).

Taguig's war against drug is taking a significant toll on organized crime groups such as the Tinga Drug Syndicate. Several key members of the syndicate, such as ring leader Elisa "Ely" Tinga, as well as Joana and Henry Tinga, were arrested in recent years.

Mayor Lani Cayetano took pride of this new development and commended the Taguig police for doing a very good job in winning the war against drugs.

"We are confident that with the fall of the most wanted drug personality in Taguig, the rest will follow. This is a big accomplishment for our police force as the biggest player in the drug market has been taken off the streets," Mayor Lani said.

Taguig City police chief Senior Superintendent Arthur Felix Asis said the anti-drug operation netted 9 sachets of what was recently confirmed as shabu weighing more or less 140.682 grams, a Taurus pistol, two magazine clips and P5,000 worth of buy-bust money.

Asis said the operation was a product of diligent police work and extensive surveillance.

Fall of Tinga syndicates and others

Since Mayor Lani took the helm in Taguig, an all-out war was declared against illegal drugs.

In the past, prominent members of the Tinga Drug Syndicate, which included Joana Tinga and Henry Tinga, and key member Elisa "Ely" Tinga, were put behind bars.

This year alone, six persons in the Top 10 drug hotlist had been arrested and the number of total arrests involving drugs significantly increased to 70%.

The city's crime rate has also gone down 56% for the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year.

"This twin achievements of the police do not, and will not, go unnoticed. Peace and order is a very essential part of progress. Again, we commend the police for a job well done," Mayor Lani said.