Cops net P1.6-M worth of ‘shabu’ in weekend drug sting

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police busted two persons, including a male teenager, in separate anti-illegal drug operations that yielded P1,666,000 worth of suspected shabu here and in Negros Occidental over the weekend.

The biggest haul was reported at Purok Sigay, Barangay Singcang-Airport here early Sunday, with the confiscation of 220 grams of suspected shabu worth P1,496,000.

Police identified the suspect as Dario Gonzales, 32, of the said village, a repeat offender.

Captain Joven Mogato, head of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), said Gonzales was arrested for the same offense in 2019.

But he appealed his case and later got acquitted. He was released from jail in June 2023, Mogato added.

A month after he was released from jail, Mogato said Gonzales allegedly returned to the illegal drug trade, but on an occasional basis.

Mogato said that it took them a while to monitor the suspect as he would hide from time to time.

Also recovered from the suspect were the P12,000 marked money and P200 cash.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old boy was also apprehended while his alleged cohort managed to escape the operation at Hacienda Mimi, Barangay 10, Victorias City last Saturday.

He is a newly identified drug personality, according to the police.

Police recovered 25 grams of suspected shabu worth P170,000, two homemade shotguns loaded with live ammunition, and four live ammunition of the same firearm.

Major Joy Ellaga, deputy chief of Victorias City Police Station, said the two suspects were part of a group that is allegedly involved in drug transactions.

In a statement, Police Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6, said the commitment to eradicating illegal drugs from the communities demonstrates the dedication of police personnel in eradicating the proliferation of illegal drugs.

He commended the collaborative efforts of the police units involved in the operation.

“Kaya po tayo ay magtulugan para tuluyang masugpo ang paglaganap ng ilegal na droga para sa mapayapa at ligtas na komunidad,” Villaflor said.