Police trainee nabbed for ‘marijuana’

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A police officer undergoing Field Training Program (FTP) was arrested after he was allegedly caught using suspected marijuana inside his boarding house at Barangay 37 here on Saturday.

Police identified the suspect as Patrolman Bryn Jephthah Gimotea, 32, of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

Gimotea is currently on a six-month training at the Regional Training School at  Bakyas in Barangay Mansilingan.

Police Colonel Henry Biñas, director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said the police trainee was caught by his supervising officer while allegedly engaging in illegal drugs.

Police recovered from him an improvised cigarette rolling pipe containing partly burned suspected dried marijuana leaves worth P700, a plastic containing suspected dried marijuana leaves, and a lighter.

Biñas said Gimotea was previously warned by his superiors after receiving report about it until he got caught this time.

“He needs to face the consequence of his action,” Biñas said.

Biñas said he already informed Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, regional director of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 about the said apprehension and the latter ordered him to file the appropriate criminal and administrative charges against Gimotea.

Gimotea, who refused media interviews, will be subjected to drug test. He is detained at Police Station 1.

Meanwhile, a former Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman and his companion were arrested in a buy-bust at Goldenfield Commercial Complex in Barangay Singcang-Airport here early Sunday.

Police Captain Jun Ray Batadlan, head of Police Station 9, identified the suspects as former SK chairman Mitchell Sindol, 28, of Barangay 17; and Raymond Alunan, 38, of Barangay Banago.

Police seized from them four sachets of suspected shabu worth P25,000, the P300 marked money, and drug paraphernalia. Both suspects are detained at Police Station 9.

Also arrested here over the weekend was Pedrito Oficiar after he allegedly yielded four sachets of suspected shabu worth P1,200 in a buy-bust at Barangay Vista Alegre last Saturday.

Police also confiscated from him the P200 marked money, drug paraphernalia, a bladed weapon, and an improvised shotgun with two live ammunition of 12 gauge shotgun.

Oficiar, a drug surrenderer, is detained at Police Station 7.

In Silay City, Ronalyn Dela Cruz, 20, of Barangay Lantad was arrested in a drug bust at the said village last Saturday.

Authorities recovered from her 10 sachets of suspected shabu weighing four grams worth P60,000, drug paraphernalia, the P500 marked money, and P1,500 boodle or fake money.