By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
A suspected “shabu tiangge” at Purok Sigay, Barangay 2, Bacolod City was raided by members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Island Region (PDEA-NIR), Saturday afternoon.
Police identified the suspects as Delia Echraela, Rose May Echraela, Reynald Carpina, Henry Colongan, Ronnie Naval, Antonio Hofilena, Archie Era, Dennis Mercado, and Loven Lubrico.
PDEA agents said they arrested the suspects after Delia handed one sachet of suspected shabu worth P500 to an undercover agent.
A subsequent search of the suspects and the premises yielded eight more sachets (four big, four small) of suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia.
Agents estimate the value of the seized narcotics at about P200,000.
In an interview at the custodial facility of Police Station 2 (PS2) on Sunday, Delia admitted to the crime saying she has been selling shabu in the area since last year.
The suspects are facing illegal drugs charges and are detained at PS2.
Aside from Bacolod City, members of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) also carried out several raids in the city of Silay and the towns of Binalbagan and Valladolid over the weekend.
In Silay City, police conducted a buy-bust operation along Abad Santos Street, Barangay 5, which resulted in the arrest of 24-year-old Randolf Pontillano.
The bust yielded six big sachets of suspected shabu, with an estimated market value of P150,000.
This was followed by another raid, carried out in Barangay San Teodoro, Binalbagan, which resulted in the arrest of three people, identified as Reymar Gumban, 33; John Bradley dela Cruz, 19; and John Paul Presquito, 18.
Town police chief, Police Chief Inspector Anthony Grande, said they recovered eight sachets of suspected shabu, with a market value of P5,000.
Meanwhile, in the town of Valladolid, police arrested 34-year-old Romeo Magnabe in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Palaka.
Valladolid town police commander, Police Senior Inspector Juji Liba, said they encountered difficulty in nabbing Magnabe as he was traveling from place to place.
The top drug personality in town, Magnabe yielded 13 sachets of suspected shabu.
Liba added they are still trying to determine who Magnabe’s supplier is, as he was also acting as courier of illegal drugs in the said town./WDJ