DRUG HAUL FALLOUT: Bacolod house owners told to check renters

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – Very alarming.

This was the reaction of Mayor Evelio Leonardia after P13.6 million worth of suspected shabu was seized from three persons, including two non-residents of the city, in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Singcang-Airport here early this week.

The suspects were busted in a rented house in the said barangay.

On Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group-Special Operations Unit 4 and 7, together with the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU)-6 nabbed Jun Mark Ibe, 28, of Barangay Taculing here, his live-in partner Regine Arroz, 28, and their househelper Shiela Mhary Balarao, 34.

Arroz and Balarao are both residents of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.

The three suspects rented the house for about two months now, according to the police.

In a press briefing Wednesday, Leonardia said that “with that experience, house owners or apartment caretakers should conduct background investigation on their prospective clients.”

Leonardia said that if possible, house owners can consult the authorities first, adding that there should be due diligence on their part.

The mayor said that they should be “more conscious about these things so that chances of these happening again will be much lesser.”

Earlier, village chief Rosinie Distrito also advised house owners to ensure that renters are not involved in any illegal activity to prevent the same from happening.

Meanwhile, Captain Jun Ray Batadlan, head of Police Station 8, said that Ibe and Arroz were charged for the sale of dangerous drugs, while Balarao is facing charges for illegal possession of dangerous drugs.

Batadlan said Ibe is also facing additional charges for illegal possession of drug paraphernalia.

The drug bust happened after authorities received information of a recent operation in the National Capital Region (NCR) on the alleged shipment of contraband from Marikina to Bacolod.

The contraband hidden inside boxes of milk and cereals was shipped through a courier service firm.

Ibe and Balarao, in their earlier media interviews, denied their involvement in the illegal drug trade, while Arroz has yet to comment on the accusations against her.