Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced a landmark achievement in the city’s crackdown on crime and illegal drugs, with police seizing more than two kilograms of suspected shabu worth ₱14.28 million and arresting two most wanted persons.
The arrests involved suspects listed by authorities as regional- and district-level wanted persons, while the drug operation resulted in the arrest of a suspected high-value drug target from Navotas City.
The MPD Drug Enforcement Unit seized more than two kilograms of suspected shabu valued at ₱14.28 million in Ermita, Manila. Police said the operation stemmed from a transaction initially monitored in southern Metro Manila before authorities moved it to Ermita.
Police identified the suspect as George Pascual Cortez, alias “Kapatid,” 33, of Navotas City. Authorities said the operation yielded about two kilograms of suspected shabu, including an earlier 250-gram seizure.
Meanwhile, MPD Station 14 personnel arrested Roy Linsag Atugan, 32, in Barangay Malanday, Marikina City. Authorities identified Linsag as the second most wanted person at the regional level.
Linsag, a truck helper, was arrested through a warrant issued July 16, 2025. Police said he was wanted in connection with a qualified rape case involving a 14-year-old victim and had been in hiding for more than a year.
Authorities also arrested former barangay kagawad Carlos Castillo, 54, of Tondo, Manila, the district’s second most wanted person, in Quezon City on Aug. 31 over a rape case involving a 12-year-old victim.
Moreno praised the MPD’s operations during his live broadcast and said the city would continue enforcing measures against crime and illegal activities.
“There is no room for you here in Manila,” he said about criminals. “Walang puwang sa inyo ang lungsod ng Maynila.”
Data presented by the MPD also showed a steady decline in crime incidents across Metro Manila, with cases dropping sharply beginning in the fourth quarter of 2025.
