Ex-gov’t worker, two others fall in drug sting

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A former casual government employee assigned as a land surveyor, and two others, including his son, were busted with 55 grams of suspected shabu worth P374,000 at their rented house in Barangay Tangub here yesterday.

The subject was identified as Jade Babaran, 48, of Barangay 26 here. He is a high-value individual, according to the police.

Also arrested were Jadelle Clyde Babaran, 27, and his 14-year-old girlfriend, both street-level individuals.

Police Captain Glenn Montaño, head of Police Station 8, said that it took them two weeks to monitor Jade, as he would transfer from one place to another.

Montaño said that Jade was arrested in a buy-bust operation in 2017 and was released from jail three years later after he had served his sentence.

He was again arrested for a drug offense in 2022 and was released in January of this year after the case was dismissed, the station commander added.

Montaño said that Jadelle previously underwent drug rehabilitation, but he reportedly continued engaging in illegal drugs by serving as an alleged runner of his father.

Jadelle and his girlfriend have been living together for about a month.

When asked about their source, Montaño said that Jade allegedly has a contact inside a jail. He, however, refused to elaborate further while investigation is ongoing.

The father and son are detained at Police Station 8, while the minor was turned over to the custody of the Social Development Center (SDC) here.