Cops review border security after PHP40.8M shabu bust

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (Norppo) is reassessing its border security protocols following the seizure of an estimated PHP40.8 million worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation early Tuesday in Barangay Sto. Niño, San Jose, Negros Oriental.

A police report stated that approximately six kilos of the illegal drug were confiscated from a suspect identified only as “Pao,” 36, a resident of Barangay Camanjac, Dumaguete City.

The operation, conducted around 12:33 a.m., was a joint effort of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit and the Provincial Intelligence Unit.

It was supported by the San Jose Municipal Police Station, Regional Intelligence Division, PNP Drug Enforcement Group, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Negros Island Region (PDEA-NIR).

Police Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for Norppo, said the office is reviewing existing security measures to determine how illegal drugs continue to enter the province.

He emphasized that coordination with the PDEA and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) remains strong and that efforts to tighten surveillance at all entry and exit points are being intensified.

While port monitoring poses challenges due to jurisdictional limits with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Polinar said inter-agency coordination can strengthen border security.

He noted that police officers at checkpoints are limited to visual inspections, making it difficult to detect concealed contraband.

Authorities are now focused on tracing the origin of the recovered drugs, which are believed to have come from outside the province.

Polinar said there are no known drug laboratories in the area, suggesting the drugs were only dropped off locally.

The provincial police force has intensified its anti-drug operations.

“We’re looking into how these illegal drugs are still getting through our entry points,” Polinar said in a phone interview.

“We’re trying to identify the factors involved because border controls have already been tightened, so we’re not yet sure where it’s coming from.”

He said the suspect is unemployed and is currently undergoing a background check.

Charges for the sale and possession of dangerous drugs were filed against Pao on Wednesday.

Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, director of PRO-NIR, commended the units involved for their coordination and precision in executing the operation.

He described the bust as a significant win in the region’s ongoing campaign against illegal drugs.

This is the latest in a series of major drug seizures in the province.

In April, police arrested another high-value target in Barangay Maslog, Sibulan, and seized PHP27.2 million worth of suspected shabu.

The following month, two separate operations in Sibulan and Dumaguete yielded PHP10.2 million more worth of illegal drugs.