By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The father and two brothers of suspected Silay City drug lord Michael Divinagracia were arrested late Thursday afternoon after operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Silay City police raided their residence in the city’s Barangay Mambulac.
Police identified the suspects as 52-year-old Felizardo Divinagracia, 26-year-old Kenneth Divinagracia, and 27-year-old Bryan Divinagracia.
Silay City police chief, Police Superintendent Noel Polines, said the raid was conducted after a search warrant was issued against them by Judge Ana Celeste Bernad.
He said the elder Divinagracia was arrested first, after he was caught handing one sachet of suspected shabu to undercover operatives.
Agents subsequently conducted a separate raid of the brothers’ residence.
Polines said Felizardo yielded 11 sachets of shabu, valued at P170,000; while 13 sachets of shabu, with a market value of P120,000, were recovered from the two brothers.
All three suspects face illegal drugs charges and are presently detained at the Silay City Police Station.
Earlier this year, Iloilo police recovered a Negros-bound drug shipment worth P18 million at the Dumangas port allegedly belonging to the drug lord.
The operation resulted in the arrest of Jose Alberto Kilayko Pinaga and his live-in partner, Maebelle Belmonte Poblador, both of whom reportedly work for Divinagracia./DGB, WDJ