Part of the P31,280,000 in shabu seized in Bacolod City on Sunday, May 18.*BCPO photo
The police arrested three persons and seized P31,280,000 worth of suspected shabu in what was described as “a significant blow to the illegal drug trade” in Bacolod City on Sunday, May 18.
The three were arrested with 4,600 grams of suspected shabu in buy bust operations in barangays Singcang Airport, Estefania and 2, PCol. Joeresty Coronica, Bacolod police director, said.
Alias Cherry, 41, of Jaro, Iloilo City, was arrested with 1,100 grams of shabu at a pension house at Purok Hollow Blocks, Barangay Singcang Airport, at about 3:21 p.m. Sunday, Capt. Greeky Cayao, Police Station 8 chief, said.
The shabu seized from alias Cherry was worth P7,480,000, he said.
The shabu came from Mindoro and is believed to have entered Bacolod City on a roll-on-roll-off vessel, Cayao said.
City Drug Enforcement Unit operatives also arrested Jom Flynn Quima Banquillo, alias Drake, 37, a jobless man, and seized 2,500 grams of suspected shabu at Country Homes Subdivision in Brgy. Estefania at 2:15 a.m. Sunday.
The shabu seized from Banquillo, a high-value drug personality, was valued by the police at P17 million, a police report said.
The police also seized the P8,000 buy bust money.
The suspect is believed to be the drugs “bodegero” of a Negrense based in Luzon who is the source of the supply, Coronica said.
About an hour later Bacolod Police Station 2 cops arrested Robert Villanueva Delos Santos, 41, at Purok Lampirong, Barangay 2, at 3:52 a.m. Sunday, the police reported.
Seized from Delos Santos of Purok 42, Bayanihan, Brgy. Villamonte, in Bacolod City, was 1,000 grams/1 kilogram of suspected shabu valued at P6.8 million, the police said.
The suspect had been arrested twice for illegal drugs in the past. He was granted probation for the first case and served a 13-year sentence for the second case, Coronica said.
The source of the shabu drugs seized in barangays Estefania and 2 from Luzon is the same, he added.
All three suspects are now in police custody and will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Coronica lauded the policemen who made the arrests “for their vigilance and commitment”, stressing that the Bacolod police remains relentless in its war against illegal drugs.
“These operations demonstrate our strong resolve to keep Bacolod a safe and peaceful place to live. We will continue to pursue those who threaten the peace and well-being of our community,” he said.
The Bacolod City Police Office urges the public to continue supporting the PNP’s anti-illegal drug efforts by reporting suspicious activities through the nearest police station or via its hotline numbers, he added.*