On Tuesday, 32 suspected drug dealers were killed in shootouts across one province in the Philippines.
According to Romeo Caramat Jr., Bulacan Provincial Director Senior Superintendent, Police conducted 66 “buy-bust” operations, in which undercover police attempt to buy illegal drugs from suspected dealers, in the province of Bulacan and Twenty of the “buy bust” operations and 14 searches “resulted in armed encounter’.
Since coming to power in June 2016, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has unleashed an aggressive crackdown on drugs that has left at least 3,400 alleged dealers and users dead.
The number of dead suspects on Tuesday is the highest the province has seen in a single night. He referred to the night of police action as a “one-time, big-time” operation, indicating that it was targeting “notorious drug pushers.” In addition to the 32 killed, 107 persons were also arrested.
