Former inmate suspected in Iloilo Jail shabu incident

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Atty. Jairus Anthony Dogelio, warden of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay Ungka, suggested that a former inmate may have orchestrated the recent shabu smuggling attempt at the Iloilo City District Jail – Male Dormitory in Jaro, Iloilo City.

The perpetrator skillfully bypassed CCTV surveillance to aim the illegal substance at the basketball court on the morning of March 13.

However, the package, containing two sachets of shabu hidden within a sock and weighted down with a stone in a plastic cup, mistakenly landed on a rooftop, promptly spotted by a tower guard.

“Given the circumstances, it’s highly possible that the person who threw the shabu used to have been detained here,” Dogelio

The incident is alarming, given that the jail holds approximately 960 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in a facility with a capacity for around 150, and 74 percent of these inmates are charged with drug-related offenses.

With hundreds of inmates, “we couldn’t be sure of who was supposed to be the intended receiver of the shabu,” he said.

Nevertheless, Dogelio assured that investigations are ongoing to unveil the parties responsible for the incident.