Northern Police District’s District Drug Enforcement Unit (NPD-DDEU) chief Police Lt. Col. Timothy Aniway Jr. revealed on Friday that the accessibility of North Caloocan to Bulacan and Quezon City makes the city a stronghold for illegal drugs.

The statement comes after police recovered illegal drugs worth P7.96 million in a buy-bust operation in Barangay 185 last 6 February 2025.

“Looking at the geographical setting of North Caloocan, you have easy exit points in Quezon City and Bulacan, and for me, that’s one of the reasons why there are many illegal drugs in North Caloocan,” Aniway said.

Before the recent drug sting in Barangay 185, authorities recovered at least 625 grams of shabu, valued at P4.25 million, in nearby Barangay 188. A courier rider was also stopped at a checkpoint, where police seized P1.5 million worth of illegal narcotics. Both incidents occurred in January.

Last Thursday, a drug sting led by the DDEU and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority resulted in the recovery of 1.17 kilograms of shabu, with a street value of P7.96 million.

Three high-value individuals were arrested — alias “Tomboy,” “Meng” and “Halem.”

“Our poseur-buyer was able to communicate with Tomboy, and actually, the authorities didn’t know that there were two more people inside their house,” the chief added.