Sierra Bullones may soon become the fourth drug-cleared municipality in Bohol, as only two of the town’s 22 barangays have not yet been cleared of illegal drug activities, based on authorities’ data.

“Maybe by the month of August Sierra Bullones will already be drug-free,” SPO2 Conrad Butil of the Sierra Bullones police said in Cebuano.

According to Butil, they have already eradicated illegal drug activities in all of the town’s barangays except the villages of Poblacion and Bugsoc.

The 20 barangays’ claim of being drug-free is supported by data from their respective Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADAC).

Butil told DYRD Balita that some village officials who were then allegedly involved in illegal drug activities had surrendered and continued to cut their involvement in the narcotics trade.

“They were part of Tokhang but they also surrendered. Now they are doing their best to clear their names,” said Butil who noted that the said drug-linked officials have been supportive of the campaign.

On Saturday evening, Pilar native James Reyes, an alleged big-time drug personality, was gunned down in Sierra Bullones after allegedly resisting arrest during a police buy-bust operation.

According to Butil, the fall of Reyes who was ranked sixth among high-value targets in Central Visayas would further lessen drug activities in the town.

Reyes allegedly supplied drugs to local dealers in Sierra Bullones.

So far, only the towns of Batuan, Sevilla and Dimiao have been declared drug-free by their respective Municipal Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (MADAC).

However, further verification on the drug status of the towns will still have to be conducted by an oversight committee led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

In a previous report, PDEA agent Chona Egam noted that towns will have to be cleared at the barangay and municipal levels before the oversight committee reassesses their drug-free status. (AD)