Bacolod couple arrested with PHP 5.4 million shabu

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — A couple married four months ago were arrested after police seized PHP 5.4 million worth of suspected shabu during a drug bust in Barangay 35 on Saturday.

Police alleged that the couple worked as couriers in the illegal drug trade.

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region identified the suspects only as “Gard,” 44, and his wife, “Ann,” 31, both residents of Barangay Singcang-Airport in Bacolod.

Police Maj. Eugene Tolentino, chief of Police Station 1, said the couple had been monitored since last year after they allegedly took over the operations of previously arrested drug suspects.

Tolentino said Ann allegedly conspired with her husband in the illegal activity.

Police operatives seized 800 grams of suspected shabu and PHP 7,000 in marked money.

Shabu is the local term for methamphetamine hydrochloride, an illegal stimulant.

Tolentino said the couple reportedly sourced the drugs from outside the region and had been tasked with distributing them to customers in Bacolod and nearby areas of Negros Occidental.

Earlier this month, Police Station 1 also seized PHP 8.1 million worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay 12.

In a statement, Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, PRO-NIR director, said the operation dealt a significant blow to the region’s illegal drug supply network.

“This reflects PRO-NIR’s unwavering resolve to relentlessly pursue drug personalities and dismantle their operations,” Cardiño said.

Cardiño vowed to sustain the campaign until communities are free from the threat of illegal drugs.

Separately, the Bacolod City Police Office said officers seized PHP 272,000 worth of suspected shabu in operations involving a 64-year-old mild stroke survivor in Barangay 2 on Friday and a 35-year-old man in Barangay Mansilingan.

Police Col. Eugene Rebadomia, BCPO director, commended the operating units for their dedication and professionalism.

He said the operations reflected the BCPO’s commitment to dismantling illegal drug networks and protecting communities from the harmful effects of prohibited substances.

Rebadomia urged the public to continue reporting illegal activities, saying community cooperation remains vital in the fight against crime.

In another operation Sunday, police arrested a 36-year-old man during a drug raid in Barangay Tibsoc, San Enrique.

Police recovered 31.5 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP 214,200.

PRO-NIR said the suspect, identified only as “Pat,” had been monitored since 2022 because of intelligence linking him to illegal drug activities.

The regional police office said Pat was originally from Bacolod City and had acquired property in the area, where he built a home, raised and traded gamefowl, and engaged in cockfighting, allegedly as a front for illegal drug activities.