SK councilor, 3 others nabbed in Negros drug busts

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Four individuals, including a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councilor, were arrested in separate buy-bust operations across Negros Island.

In Bacolod City, a 53-year-old woman and her 60-year-old brother-in-law were caught with 30 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP204,000 in Barangay Tangub on Thursday.

Police Lt. Richard Legada, assistant chief of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), said the woman was the target of the operation and had a prior drug-related arrest.

Legada said she allegedly served as a custodian of illegal drugs and reportedly delivered them to Manapla, Negros Occidental.

She was previously arrested by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in 2014 and released five years later after serving time at the Handumanan jail.

Both suspects are classified as street-level individuals.

Legada added that the woman’s brother-in-law was also arrested for a drug offense in 2019 and was released last year.

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old SK councilor from Barangay Tignao, Lazi, Siquijor, was apprehended by PDEA-Negros Island Region (NIR) operatives in Barangay Ibabao, Siquijor, on July 14.

Authorities said they recovered two sachets of suspected shabu from the suspect, who was identified as a high-value target.

The councilor is currently detained at the Siquijor Municipal Police Station and faces charges of selling and possessing illegal drugs.

The arrest marked the formal activation of the PDEA-NIR, led by acting regional director Melvin Estoque.

In a statement, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez emphasized the agency’s renewed commitment to intensifying its anti-drug efforts in the region.

“The opening of PDEA-NIR will further accelerate and improve the delivery of our services in the region,” Nerez said.

He added that the agency aims to strengthen its regional presence to optimize productivity and efficiency in protecting Negrenses from the threat of illegal drugs.

The PDEA-NIR will operate within Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, unless otherwise authorized to extend its jurisdiction.

In Negros Oriental, a high-value individual was also arrested with 74.3 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP505,240 in Barangay Cangmating, Sibulan.