BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Three kilos of suspected shabu with a market value of P20.4 million were seized yesterday by combined operatives of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Maritime Group and Philippine National Police, from two arrested drug suspects who were intercepted yesterday at the BREDCO Port in Brgy. 10, Bacolod City.
Those nabbed were identified as Aslanie Disomangcop Usman and Jalanie Mohammad Ambulo, both residents of Bacolod City.
PCol. Joseph Thomas Martir, Bacolod City Police Office director, disclosed yesterday that a random inspection by members of various law enforcement agencies at a Tri Star RoRo vessel led to the discovery of suspected shabu placed inside sealed tea bags which were wrapped with masking tape.
The police also seized a white Toyota Corolla Altis, two Samsung cellular phones, a driver’s license and a PhilHealth card.
It was the drug-sniffing dogs of PCG and PDEA that discovered the shabu inside the sedan, according to Police Station 2 chief, PCapt. Paul Vincent Pendon.
Investigations of PCG-Negros Occidental show that two arrested suspects came from Metro Manila and traveled to Negros Occidental, through roll-on/roll-off vessel from Batangas to Caticlan, Aklan then traveled by land and boarded a Bacolod-bound vessel from Dumangas in Iloilo.
Both suspects, who are facing violation for RA 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugh of 2002, are presently under the custody of PDEA-Negros Occidental for further investigation.
On the other hand, another drug suspect identified as Roy Flores was also apprehended by the police during a buy-bust operation on January 23 in Brgy. Balintawak, Escalante City, Negros Occidental.
The arrest of Flores, 26, yielded three sachets of suspected shabu, P1,500 in marked money and a cellular phone.*
