Zamboanga City—Twenty Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9) policemen have been discharged from the service for the past 17 months for using prohibited drugs, a police regional officer in Zamboanga City said.
Senior Supt. Debold Sinas, police region 9 deputy regional director for operations, said the ousted law enforcers—stationed in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City and Zamboanga del Sur—were found positive of drug use during random testing during the period.
Sinas told the media that 11 of the accused policemen were dismissed in late 2014, six in 2015, and three in early 2016 even as he noted that more than 900 cops in the region have been tested for methampetamine hydrochloride or shabu use since 2014.
PRO-9 Director Chief Supt. Billy Beltran tasked Sinas to supervise random drug tests among members of the Zamboanga City Police Office and other police stations in the region.
