• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The P6.8 million in suspected shabu seized in a buy-bust operation Sept. 19 was reportedly intended for distribution during the MassKara Festival next month in Bacolod, the police said.
The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) said that operatives recovered approximately 1,000 grams of the illegal drugs from a 25-year-old high-value individual in Purok Fatima, Islamic Center, Barangay 31, Bacolod.
Intelligence reports revealed that the contraband was delivered to the suspect from sources in Lanao and Marawi.
Surveillance of the premises prior to the operation, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, had shown frequent visits from unidentified individuals.
Operatives of the Bacolod Police City Drug Enforcement Unit, led by P/Lt. Col. Roberto Indiape Jr., nabbed the suspect with 10 knot-tied transparent plastic of suspected shabu, seven sachets of suspected shabu, including the buy-bust item, a sling bag, P900 in cash, and the P6,000 in buy-bust money.
The suspect is now under the custody of the BCPO Station 6, while the necessary documentation is being prepared for the filing of charges in violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“Our responsibility does not end with an arrest. We will continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations, law enforcement efforts, and partnerships with our communities to sustain the pressure against illegal drug activities,” PRO-NIR director, P/Brig. Gen. Rudecindo Reales, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, P/Lt. Col. Lester Leada, BCPO deputy director for Administration, assured during the inter-agency press conference Sept. 18 that the police will be placed on full-alert status, and border control will be enforced, for the duration of the festival.
“Every time we have a major festival, we notice an increase in the trade of illegal drugs, but we are constantly monitoring them, in coordination, not only with the PNP but also with PDEA. The status of Bacolod regarding illegal drugs is that we are a transshipment area, meaning we serve as a transit point for their distribution,” he said.
The location of the recent buy-bust is the same area where the BCPO recorded its largest drug haul this year, when operatives seized 4.2 kilograms of suspected shabu, valued at P28.5 million, from another high-value target May 19.
Leada said the two suspects live near each other, and obtain their illegal drugs from the same supplier. | TMD
