BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A couple was arrested yesterday during a buy bust operation at Purok Bolinao in Brgy. 1, Bacolod City, that yielded about 1.2 kilos of suspected shabu, according to police chief Col. Thomas Joseph Martir.
Martir, the Bacolod City Police Office director, said that the confiscated shabu has a market value of P8.5 million.
Nabbed were identified by the police as Alvin Cristales, 27, and his live in partner, Regina Escosio, 44, both classified by the police as High Value Individuals in illegal drugs activities.
Also recovered from the two arrested drug suspects by operatives of the BCPO Drug Enforcement Unit operatives were P3,000 in marked money, a digital weighing scale and P500 in cash believed to be proceeds from sale of illegal drugs.
Three other drug suspects were also arrested by the police, in separate buy bust operations also on October 12 in Silay City and La Castellana, Negros Occidental.
The apprehension of Juncel Zamora at Sitio Dapdap in Brgy. Lantad, Silay City, yielded 11 grams of suspected shabu with a market value of P74,800 and marked money of P2,100.
On the other hand, the arrest of Mark Paller and Norwe Malinao in similar buy bust operations at Hacienda Jamandre in Brgy. Robles, La Castellana, also yielded 0.21 gram of suspected shabu, with a market value of P1,500, marked money of P500, as well as one unit of Bajaj motorcycle with a sidecar.*
