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Incoming PDEA chief hopes to return lead on drug war ops to agency

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA- Incoming Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) head Chief Superintendent Aaron Aquino hopes the agency will again lead the government&#x27;s campaign against illegal drugs.Aquino, who is set to <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/21/17/duterte-pdeas-lapea-to-replace-faeldon-in-bureau-of-customs">replace </a>incumbent PDEA chief Director General Isidro Lapeña, said he believes controversies hounding the anti-drug campaign will be minimized if operations are solely conducted by the anti-drug agency.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3R4zkKbD15k" width="560"></iframe></figure>&quot;Hopefully time will come na ang mag-ooperate lang sa drug operations eh PDEA. Hindi na mag-ooperate ang pulis, they will be concentrating more on other crimes such as theft and robbery, carnapping…&quot; Aquino said in an interview on DZMM Sunday.&quot;Being a member of PNP right now nakikita ko kasi talagang may problema sa Philippine National Police, talagang marami ang pulis na gumagawa ng illegal activites,&quot; he added.The police have been the lead agency in President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign since last year.The campaign has earned the PNP allegations of abuses, particularly extrajudicial killings--the most recent of which is an anti-drug operation in Caloocan that led to the <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/26/17/farewell-kian-slain-teen-laid-to-rest-as-family-cries-for-justice">death </a>of a 17-year-old boy.The Central Luzon police director however admitted that it will be &quot;very hard&quot; for the agency to lead the anti-narcotics campaign with its current manpower of nearly 2,000 compared to around 120,000 personnel of the Philippine National Police.&quot;Pag lumaki syempre ang pwersa namin mas madali naming magampanan ang trabaho namin,&quot; Aquino said.

Incoming Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) head Chief Superintendent Aaron Aquino hopes the agency will again lead the government's campaign against illegal drugs.

Incoming Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) head Chief Superintendent Aaron Aquino hopes the agency will again lead the government's campaign against illegal drugs.