P6.8-M worth of ‘shabu’ seized

By: Glazyl Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – More or less a kilo of suspected shabu worth P6.8 million was seized from three persons in a buy-bust at South Capitol Road in Barangay 9 here early Friday.

Arrested were target subject as Ronaldo Roquero Jr. of Talisay City, Negros Occidental; his partner Gerilyn Yabut; and another companion Alcyn Cuadra, both residents of Bacolod City.

Police Lieutenant Thurslie Castillo, head of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU)-Negros Occidental, said Yabut allegedly handed the “shabu” to a police agent in exchange for the P7,000 marked money while Cuadra served as driver of Roquero’s rented car during the transaction.

Castillo said Roquero can be considered a provincial level high value target because of the big volume of drugs recovered from him.

He (Roquero) was arrested for the same offense in the previous years, but was placed under probation and was released last year, the RDEU-Negros head said.

Castillo said they conducted the operation after they placed Roquero under monitoring for a week, following reports about his alleged illegal drug activities.

Castillo said Roquero alleged that the items were sourced from Manila and he was tasked to distribute it here and in different areas in the province on orders of two inmates of the Negros Occidental District Jail (NODJ) in Bago City. But he refused to name the inmates as they are still validating the information.

He said that Roquero even linked alleged drug lord Michael Divinagracia in their illegal drug transactions but did not elaborate further about his role.

Divinagracia, Silay City’s top drug personality, is still at-large.

Castillo said Yabut will be charged for conspiracy while Roquero will be facing charges for sale and illegal possession of dangerous drugs, and Cuadra will also be charged for illegal possession of dangerous drugs after police seized from him a sachet of suspected shabu.

 

GREYHOUND

Meanwhile, Senior Inspector Norberto Miciano, NODJ warden, immediately conducted greyhound operation, following Roquero’s accusation linking two persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) inside the jail in the drug transaction.

Miciano said only one PDL identified by Roquero is currently inside the NODJ.

“He (PDL) was already isolated and was subjected for drug test which turned out negative. He was also temporarily not allowed to receive visitors while he is subjected for investigation,” Miciano said.

Miciano said they have not recovered any communication devices during the greyhound operation.

He said that based on the visitor’s logbook, the PDL had a visitor from Silay City in the past few days. It will be part of our investigation to determine if he is transacting with his visitors, he added.

“We don’t tolerate contraband inside the facility and cellular phones are not allowed inside the jail,” he stressed.

Moreover, Joselito Detoyato, 36, of Barangay Mandalagan here, and John Ronel Jaleco, 25, of Barangay 34 here were arrested in a drug bust at Barangay 35 yesterday, after police confiscated from them seven sachets of suspected shabu weighing 27 grams worth P405,000, the P500 marked money, and drug paraphernalia. Both suspects are detained at Police Station 3.

In Negros Occidental, six persons were arrested in four separate buy-bust operations in the cities of Kabankalan, La Carlota, Himamaylan, and Talisay in the past two days, which resulted in the recovery of a total of P122,500 worth of suspected shabu.