Pampanga: Authorities arrested three suspects and confiscated over PHP1 million worth of illegal drugs during separate operations in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija provinces, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 3 (Central Luzon) reported Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, at 4 a.m. Thursday in Pampanga, operatives of the City Police Drug Enforcement Unit (CPDEU) of the Angeles City Police Office, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-3 conducted a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pampang and arrested two suspects, including a Korean national. Seized from the suspects were 30 grams of ketamine, 100 ecstasy tablets, one bottle of liquid ecstasy, and several marijuana vape products. Authorities estimated the total value of the confiscated drugs at PHP351,300.00. The suspects and the evidence were brought to the CPDEU office for documentation and further investigation.

Meanwhile, in Talavera, Nueva Ecija on Wednesday night, operatives from the Special Drug Enforcement Team of the Talavera Municipal Police Station and the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office conducted a buy-bust in Barangay Calipahan. During the 8:40 p.m. operation, the team arrested a suspect and seized eight various sizes of shabu sachets weighing 110 grams. 'The seized shabu items have an estimated street value of PHP748,000,' the PRO-13 said in a statement.

PRO-3 director, Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio I. Pe±ones Jr., lauded the successful operations and emphasized their command's ongoing commitment to fighting illegal drugs in Central Luzon. 'We will not stop. These arrests show our resolve to keep Central Luzon safe from individuals and groups involved in the drug trade,' he said. He urged the communities to continue reporting illegal drug activities to authorities, affirming the need for sustained collaboration between police and citizens.