WEEKEND BUY-BUSTS: Cops seize more than half kilo ‘shabu’ worth P4.1M

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Suspected drugs worth P4,182,068 were confiscated by police operatives in two separate buy-bust operations here and in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last Saturday.

The first operation resulted in the arrest of four young adults in a rented house in Barangay 5, San Carlos City.

Police withheld the names of the suspects, including the city’s top 9 watchlisted drug personality, aged 24 to 29. They allegedly yielded 300.01 grams of suspected shabu worth P2,060,468.

Lieutenant Colonel Nazer Canja, San Carlos City police chief, said the watchlisted drug personality was the subject of the operation, but the three other persons were also present when the transaction took place.

Canja believed that these three persons also have knowledge about the alleged illegal activity, as he considered the subject’s house as an alleged drug den.

“Possible gina gamit man na suluyupan ang balay,” he said.

Canja said they started their monitoring last weekend after receiving complaints against the subject’s alleged illegal activity.

He said two of the suspects were tagged as high value individuals, while the two others were street level individuals.

Also confiscated from them were the P800 marked money, two improvised tooters, and a lighter.

Later that night, operatives of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) here arrested Ma. Faith Equibal, 56, of Barangay 2 here, and seized 312 grams of suspected shabu worth P2,121,600 at Purok Narra Baybay, Barangay 8 here.

Police Captain Joven Mogato, CDEU head, said the suspect has been under monitoring for three weeks following reports that she allegedly served as a courier of the illegal drugs here.

Mogato said the suspect’s two children were also in jail for drug offenses. He added that her daughter has been in jail for 10 years now, while her son was arrested in 2020 and is now at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay Handumanan here.

BACOLAODIAT SUPPLY?

Mogato said the recovered illegal drugs were allegedly allotted for the Bacolaodiat Festival here, which concluded yesterday.

“Ihingagaw pa tani nila na isupply sa Bacolaodiat na konsumo,” he added.

Fortunately, the police were able to prevent the proliferation of the contraband during the highlight of the festivity over the weekend.

Mogato said that the suspect’s contact would just drop the illegal drugs here, and her task is to allegedly deliver them to their customers.

“Siya ang gina sugo mag deliver sang drugs mag-abot ang item,” he said.

He said the illegal drugs are reportedly being sourced outside the city. However, he refused to elaborate further so as not to affect their follow-up operation.