Woman nabbed with PHP 28.5M shabu in Bacolod

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Bacolod City Police Office is investigating the possible Luzon-based source of around PHP 28.5 million worth of suspected shabu seized from a 35-year-old woman in a drug bust in Barangay 31 here shortly before midnight Tuesday.

Operatives of the City Drug Enforcement Unit arrested alias Bong and seized 4.2 kilograms of suspected shabu.

Police also recovered Chinese tea packaging and the PHP 7,000 marked money during the operation.

Police Col. Eugene Rebadomia, BCPO director, said during a media briefing Wednesday that the suspect, a sari-sari store owner, was an alleged drug courier and classified as a newly identified individual.

He said the suspect was also considered a high-value individual because of the large volume of drugs recovered.

Rebadomia said it took police about three months to monitor the suspect after the CDEU received information about her alleged illegal drug activity.

This followed a series of recent buy-bust operations in which some women in the city were arrested and may be linked to the suspect, according to Rebadomia.

He believed the contraband may have been transported to the city from Luzon or other areas.

Also part of the investigation is the extent of the suspect’s drug network and the areas of her distribution.

Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, acting regional director of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region, commended the operating units for the successful operation.

Cardiño said the operation sends a strong message that PRO-NIR remains relentless in its anti-illegal drug campaign.

He strongly warned all individuals engaged in the illegal drug trade to stop their unlawful activities because the law will eventually catch up with them.

Meanwhile, Mayor Greg Gasataya commended the BCPO and allied law enforcement agencies following the successful anti-illegal drug operation.

He recognized Rebadomia’s leadership and lauded the continued efforts of local authorities in intensifying anti-illegal drug operations in the city.

“This is one of the biggest accomplishments of the Bacolod police this year. This is why the city consistently supports our police force because they remain on top of the situation when it comes to law enforcement and the arrest of individuals involved in illegal drugs,” Gasataya said in a statement.

The mayor also acknowledged the recent accomplishments of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region, following the recovery of PHP 13.7 million worth of illegal drugs from four individuals, including two college students and a former drug offender, in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, and Barangay 10 here.

Further, a casual government employee and his companion were also arrested by police with PHP 20,400 worth of suspected shabu in Barangay Mambulac, Silay City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday.

PRO-NIR identified the suspects as alias Ju, 44, a driver assigned to the City Engineer’s Office and tagged as a high-value individual, and alias Jan, 40, an alleged runner tagged as a street-level individual.

PRO-NIR emphasized that no individual is exempt from the law, including government personnel found to be involved in illegal drug activities.