By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) seized several million worth of illegal drugs and cigarettes in separate operations across Negros Occidental in the past three days.
A report of the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) on Thursday said police personnel recovered smuggled cigarettes valued at PHP2.3 million in Barangay 5, San Carlos City on May 13.
The items included five boxes of New Mega Menthol cigarettes and 18 boxes of Red Bosqu cigarettes, containing 100 reams per box.
“All recovered items were properly documented on-site and subsequently transported to San Carlos Component City Police Station for safekeeping. The recovered cigarettes will be referred and turned over to the Bureau of Internal Revenue for verification and proper disposition,” the report said.
In Bago City, a police-led joint inspection resulted in the discovery of an illegal cigarette manufacturing operation at a warehouse in Purok Pulang Duta, Barangay Lag-asan, on May 12.
Caretaker “Jo,” 29, of Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City, was arrested while his two employers fled.
The operating team found assorted raw materials and packaging supplies allegedly used in the manufacture and packaging of cigarettes, as well as two vehicles, including a Ford Ranger 4×2 pick-up truck and an Isuzu wing van.
The seized items included 400 rolls of wrapping plastic, 36 boxes of green packing tape, 22 containers of white-blue adhesive, 130 containers of white glue adhesive, 25 boxes of scotch tape and piles of waste materials.
The PRO-NIR did not state the value of the seized items.
In Victorias City, police operatives seized suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PHP428,400 during a buy-bust in Barangay 5 on May 11.
Alias Jay, 38, was arrested after selling PHP500 worth of suspected shabu to an undercover police personnel and yielding 63 grams of the same prohibited substance.
Meanwhile, agents of PDEA-NIR arrested a high-value target, who yielded about 500 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP3.4 million during a buy-bust in Barangay 10 in this city on May 12.
Alias Nonoy, 23, a resident of Purok Boulevard, Barangay 14, is detained at the Bacolod City Police Station 2 and is facing a complaint for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
On the same day, four suspects were arrested in a drug den at Purok Fire, Barangay 8 here on May 11, the PDEA-NIR report said.
Those arrested were identified as “Patrick,” 36; “Janice,” 36; “Larry,” 37, and “Leosan,” 30.
PDEA-NIR agents confiscated 12 sachets of suspected shabu valued at PHP102,000. (PNA)
