By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Two suspected drug couriers were recently arrested at a checkpoint manned by the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), alongside police, in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.
Police identified the arrested suspects as 31-year-old Rodolfo Magbanua, a high-value drug target who had previously surrendered to police on drug charges; along with 36-year-old James Ong, a resident of the city’s Barangay Vista Alegre.
Based on information provided by Police Station 7 (PS7), BTAO enforcers were conducting an operation intended on apprehending deviant tricycle drivers when they stopped the two suspects, who were aboard a motorcycle.
The two attempted to evade authorities by executing a U-turn, but struck a utility pole.
A search of the suspects yielded 14 sachets of suspected shabu worth P6,800, which prompted the arrest.
A digital weighing scale, cash, mobile phones, and a tactical knife were also seized in a subsequent search.
Both suspects face illegal drugs charges and are presently detained at PS7./DGB, WDJ