Couple arrested with PHP578,000 worth of shabu

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) operatives arrested a couple in a buy-bust operation that led to the seizure of 85 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP578,000 in Barangay Villamonte on Monday night.

Police Lt. Col. Antonio Benitez Jr., head of the CDEU, said the suspects, a 42-year-old man and his 24-year-old live-in partner, were both residents of the village.

Benitez identified both suspects as high-value individuals due to the volume of drugs recovered.

The male suspect had been previously arrested twice for drug-related offenses. Benitez said he availed of plea bargaining in one of his prior cases.

Authorities also confiscated P1,000 in marked money and P170 from the suspects.

The suspects allegedly sourced the illegal drugs from a man who was arrested earlier this month with P6.8 million worth of suspected shabu after a road accident in Murcia, Negros Occidental. However, Benitez stated that this information will be validated, as the suspects may be attempting to shift blame.

The couple remains in custody at Police Station 4. According to Benitez, the buy-bust operation was conducted following complaints about the couple’s alleged involvement in illegal drug activity in the area.