© Provided by The Manila Times

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet: Thirty-seven persons involved in illegal gambling activities were arrested while five cockpit rings were destroyed following the intensified anti-gambling operations in the region over the past several days.

Based on the report submitted to Cordillera Police regional director BGen. Mafelino Bazar, 27 individuals were arrested for playing illegal card games, two were caught engaging in illegal cock-fighting activities, and eight were nabbed for collecting bet money for the illegal numbers game jueteng.

Of the 27 arrested suspects, nine were apprehended in Bangued, Abra; four in Manabo, Abra; seven in Upper QM, Baguio City; three in La Trinidad, Benguet; and four in Tabuk City, Kalinga. They were all caught in the act of playing card games and mahjong.

Meanwhile, two individuals were caught in the act of engaging in illegal cockfighting activity in Kias, Baguio City while eight individuals were caught in the act of collecting bet money in Bauko, Mountain Province.

All arrested suspects and confiscated evidence are now in the custody of the concerned operating units for proper documentation while appropriate charges were filed against the suspects.

In addition, as part of the anti-illegal gambling operations conducted in Benguet, five cockpit rings were separately dismantled in Barangay Ambuklao, Bokod; Barangay Ambassador, Tublay; Barangay Abiang, Atok; Barangay Nangalisan, Tuba; and Barangay Poblacion, Kibungan.