• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The series of buy bust operations initiated by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and local police during the weekend led to the confiscation of about P3.8 million worth of suspected shabu from the arrest of six drug suspects in Negros Occidental.
Atty. Caesar Distrito, the spokesperson of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, reported that the buy bust operation on August 11 in Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City, conducted by PDEA operatives led to the apprehension of two ex-convicts and the recovery of 255 grams of suspected shabu with a market value of P1.7 million.
In his social media post, Distrito, also Singcang Airport barangay chairman, disclosed that the two former inmates had been warned not to engage in the illegal drug trade. But they did not heed his call, he added.
On Saturday night, the police also seized P2,040,000 worth of suspected shabu from three arrested drug suspects, alleged as members of the Bugalon Drug Group, at Purok Roadside in Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City.
The joint operations of the Police Station 8 and City Intelligence Unit of Bacolod City yielded about 300 grams of suspected shabu.
Also on Sunday, the police seized 13 grams of suspected shabu with a market value of 88,400 from a Street Level Individual drug personality in Brgy. 2, Silay City, Negros Occidental.
From Aug. 9 to 11, the Police Regional Office 6 reported the confiscation of 784 grams of suspected shabu worth P5.3 million, from 42 arrested suspects in Western Visayas.
Among the suspects, nine were classified as high value individuals, and 33 categorized as street level individual drug personalities.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office logged the most arrests of drug suspects at 17, Iloilo Police Provincial Office – 8, Bacolod City Police Office – 7, Capiz Police Provincial Office – 5, Aklan Police Provincial Office – 3, and Iloilo City Police Office – 2.*
