MPD sweep nets fugitives, illegal gamblers

Violations of city ordinances made up the bulk of offenses handled by the Manila Police District (MPD) during a weeklong law enforcement operation, authorities reported.

The enforcement campaign, which ran from 7 to 13 June, resulted in thousands of citations and numerous arrests targeting everything from minor local infractions to serious felony offenses.

Public smoking topped the list of local ordinance violations, with police logging 2,913 offenses.

Officers also cited 1,273 individuals for being half-naked in public, 597 for traffic violations, 204 for curfew violations, 91 for obstruction, 54 for drinking in public, and five for public urination.

An additional 231 miscellaneous ordinance violations were recorded, while no infractions were reported regarding the illegal use of balaclavas.

In its crackdown on fugitive suspects, the district served 84 arrest warrants. The operations led to the apprehension of 84 individuals, including 14 top most wanted persons, 35 most wanted persons, and 35 other wanted persons.

Anti-illegal gambling efforts during the seven-day period resulted in 72 separate operations. Police arrested 169 individuals and confiscated a total of P34,750 in bet money.

The district’s anti-narcotics units conducted 16 operations, leading to the arrest of 24 suspects. Law enforcement personnel seized 112.86 grams of suspected shabu and 1.20 grams of high-grade marijuana, known as kush.

No standard marijuana was recovered.

The total street value of the confiscated narcotics was estimated at P769,048.

In efforts to curb loose firearms, police confiscated 37 illegal weapons and arrested 37 individuals.