New groups behind Bacolod drugs supply

By: Jennifer P. Rendon 

IF VOLUME is taken into consideration, it appears that Bacolod City got the “lion’s share” of the illegal drugs supply in Western Visayas.

And most distributors were not on the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO)’s watch list of illegal drug personalities, said Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police chief.

“Meron na kaming leads at targets. A good number of newly-identified drug personalities” he said.

Pamuspusan said he already instructed the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 6 (RDEU-6) and other DEUs to pursue these leads.

“Hindi na kagaya dati na kung sino ang mga players, ‘yun pa rin ‘yun. Nagawan na natin ng solusyon ‘yung mga una, nagsusulputan na ‘yung mga bago,” he said.

The common sources of illegal drugs are Manila, Cebu, and Dumaguete, he said.

The contrabands are brought to Bacolod City and other parts of the region through different transport modes.

But the most common transhipment points to Bacolod City are the different ports in Panay Island.

On Monday, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) prevented the distribution of illegal drugs meant for the MassKara festival here and the Buglasan festival in Negros Oriental after the seizure of an estimated P2,591,000 worth of suspected shabu or crystal meth at Barangay 1.

The City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) allegedly bought a sachet of suspected shabu worth P1,000 from 36-year-old Ernesto Calatis.

But Calatis managed to escape after he jumped out of a window when he sensed the presence of police in the area during the operation.

His partner, Jessel Castillo, 28, was arrested at their house for allegedly conspiring in the transaction.

Police recovered during the drug bust 215 grams of suspected shabu, and the P1,000 marked money.

Big confiscation is nothing new to Bacolod City.

In a span of three months, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) conducted 177 anti-drugs operations.

From June 27 – Sept. 27, 2019, BCPO’s anti-narcotics campaign led to the confiscation of P25,882,467.60 worth of illegal drugs, based on Dangerous Drugs Board estimates.

Records from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed that BCPO’s operations had arrested 275 persons while a lone suspect died in police shootout.

The value of drugs seized in Bacolod City was way ahead of the volumes in other provinces and city in the region.