NIR’s 8th most wanted nabbed in Bacolod drug bust

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – A 29-year-old hardware helper tagged as the eighth most wanted person in the Negros Island Region (NIR) was arrested Thursday night in Purok Kahirup B, Barangay Mansilingan.

Police served an arrest warrant against “John,” a resident of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, for violating Sections 5 (sale) and 11 (possession of dangerous drugs) under Republic Act 9165.

The arrest warrant, dated March 6, 2025, was issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 in Dumaguete City for service of sentence.

According to the Police Regional Office (PRO)-NIR, the suspect was previously arrested in a buy-bust operation in Dumaguete but was released on probation.

His probation was later revoked, prompting the issuance of a warrant for the service of his original sentence.

With information from the Regional Intelligence Unit, operatives from Police Station 7 tracked the suspect’s location and conducted surveillance until he was arrested.

The suspect is currently in the custody of Police Station 7.

Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR director, commended the operatives for their persistence in combating illegal drugs.

He lauded their commitment to locating and arresting individuals with outstanding warrants as part of the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality and Law Enforcement Operation (SACLEO).

SACLEO aims to apprehend wanted persons, seize illegal drugs, dismantle drug syndicates, and disrupt their supply chains.

This latest arrest highlights the regional police’s continued and intensified anti-illegal drugs campaign to bring offenders to justice and dismantle narcotics networks.