Alleged drug group member yields P102-K worth of ‘shabu’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – At least 15 grams of suspected shabu worth P102,000 was seized from an alleged member of a drug group in a buy-bust operation in Barangay 1, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental last Thursday.

Police arrested Ronald Tamayo, 47, of Barangay 8, who is said to be a high-value individual on the police’s drugs watchlist.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Alvimar Flores, Kabankalan City police chief, said that Tamayo was arrested for a drug offense in 2019 and was released from jail through plea bargaining the following year.

Flores said that Tamayo is a cancer patient who reportedly returned to engaging in the illegal drug trade to sustain his medication.

Flores said that Tamayo would allegedly usually transfer boarding houses to transact with his clients.

Police also recovered from him the P1,000 marked money and drug paraphernalia.

Flores said that Tamayo is allegedly linked to the Bugalon drug group, wherein its female leader was already arrested this year in the said city.

Meanwhile, Flores said they noticed that most of the arrested drug suspects had previous drug offenses.

He said that these suspects probably established contacts or links with other drug suspects in jail.

Despite this, Flores assured that police will continue to go after them.