Over P1M worth of ‘shabu’ seized, two alleged peddlers nabbed

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – An estimated P1,008,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in two separate buy-bust operations here on August 5 and 6, 2021.

Last Thursday, around 110 grams of suspected shabu worth P770,000 was confiscated from Jobel Blam, and his alleged cohort Jaime Garde at Purok Gonzaga, Barangay Taculing.

But Blam was able to escape by passing through a secret exit hole despite police operatives surrounding his house.

“Wala namon na anticipate na may tago pa gid siya na alagyan gali,” according to Police Lieutenant Melvin Mercado, deputy police chief of Police Station 5.

Mercado said that Garde attempted to escape also but he failed to follow Blam.

Mercado said they launched the operation against Blam after several weeks of monitoring.

He said Blam was previously arrested also for a drug charge and was released through plea bargaining.

Based on the information they gathered, Blam was previously considered a small-time street level drug personality, Mercado said.

But when he got out of jail, he allegedly expanded his involvement in the illegal drug trade after he met some drug personalities inside the jail, Mercado claimed.

With the volume of illegal drugs recovered in the operation, Blam can now be considered a high value target, he added.

Mercado said the suspects allegedly distributed the contraband within Bacolod only. But they will dig up more to identify his source, especially that they have also recovered a log book, which probably had the names of possible downline and sources.

Mercado said charges for violation of Section 5 (sale of dangerous drugs) and Section 11 (illegal possession of dangerous drugs) of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against Blam, who is still at large.

Garde will be charged for violation of Section 26 (conspiracy) of RA 9165.

The following day, Garry Cartalaba, 34, of Barangay 12 here was arrested at Purok Magsanaya, Barangay 6 here, after police recovered from him about 35 grams of suspected shabu worth P238,000.

The operation was led by the Philippine National Police – Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG)-6, in coordination with Police Station 2.

Cartalaba is detained at Police Station 2.

Both arrested suspects have yet to comment on the accusations against them.