Bacolod police seize P680K worth of ‘shabu’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – Officers detained two individuals, including one village chief’s relative, and confiscated suspected shabu valued at P680,000 in two separate buy-bust operations on Thursday and Friday across Bacolod and Negros Occidental.

After a three-year reprieve since his last offense in 2021, Joebert Magaporo, 35, from Barangay Handumanan, has been re-incarcerated. The City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) appropriated 80 grams of suspected shabu, worth P544,000, from Magaporo.

The evidence included seven sachets of suspected shabu and P9,000 of boodle money.

“It took us two weeks to track the suspect following tips about his alleged illegal activities,” said Police Captain Joven Mogato, the head of CDEU.

Magaporo is considered a high-value target and is currently held at Police Station 10, facing charges for sale and possession of dangerous drugs.

Simultaneously, a 27-year-old nephew of another village chief was caught with 20 grams of suspected shabu, valued at P136,000, in Barangay Guinhalaran, Silay City. Authorities seized eight sachets of suspected shabu and P4,000 marked money from him.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony Darroca, city police chief, clarified that the individual is related to the village chief’s son, who was apprehended last month for a similar crime.

“The family was previously cautioned. The village chief does not condone such behavior,” Darroca stated.

Despite prior arrests of their alleged sources, the suspects reportedly resumed their illegal drug activities, Darroca disclosed.