The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stations in Negros and Siquijor are expected to receive a total 18 additional narcotics-sniffing dogs this year as part of efforts to prevent the transport of prohibited drugs.

Currently, the PCG-Bacolod station is equipped with six bomb and narcotics-sniffing dogs, which have been deployed throughout Negros Occidental; including the San Carlos Port, which has been identified as an entry point for illegal drugs.

The request for additional K-9 units came in response to an arrest made in Dumangas, Iloilo last week, where PCG and police personnel intercepted P18 million worth of shabu bound for Bacolod City.

Two people, Jose Alberto Kilayko Pinaga and his live-in partner, Maebelle Belmonte Poblador, both of Barangay Mambulac, Silay City, Negros Occidental, were arrested in the operation./DGB, WDJ