PALO, Leyte — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration is intensifying its anti-drug campaign in Eastern Visayas even as it warned the public from unscrupulous individuals taking advantage by pretending to be its agents to extort money from unsuspecting victims.

This comes as operatives from the PDEA in Eastern Visayas recovered P1.7 million worth of drugs in a buy-bust operation, the biggest haul in a single drug operation in the region for this year.

PDEA-8 said it received complaints that certain individuals were reportedly introducing themselves as agents in Baybay City and collecting money in exchange for dropping cases against them.

The agency disclosed that the said individuals misrepresent themselves as PDEA agents or as members of other law enforcement units.

“At times, they even pose as members of the prosecution to mislead the arrested person’s family members that they can influence the release of these suspects in exchange for money,” said the PDEA-8 in a statement.

“This tactic of impersonating people with authority for malicious purposes is not new. PDEA encourages the public to be vigilant and report to PDEA any similar incidents involving suspicious individuals pretending as law enforcers,” it added.