BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA

A total of 18 kilograms of shabu have entered Negros Occidental through the seaport of San Carlos City, according to Moises Padilla mayor Magdaleno Peña.

Peña said he and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents in Negros Occidental led by Agent Grace Cruz were supposed to intercept the drug shipment last week.

The mayor claimed the operation got delayed after Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao ordered a raid against him due to his alleged “private army” in Moises Padilla.

Peña said before he could resolve his issue with PRO-6, the shabu were already transported and distributed among drug dealers operating in Bacolod City and other parts of Negros Occidental.

This explains the recent big drug catches in the province, Peña added.

The mayor also said that the six-kilogram shabu seized in San Carlos City was that of the Bertucio drug group.

The leader of the group was arrested years ago and is still serving his sentence at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Peña explained.

But the drug group still operates in the province, he stressed.

Peña criticized the San Carlos City police station for claiming that the six-kilogram shabu was that of a new drug group.

“[It’s] either they are involved or they are blind,” Peña said./DGB, WDJ