Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) director, Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, has proposed random drug testing for inmates at the Negros Occidental District Jail in Bago City’s Barangay Tabunan. According to the law enforcement official, he made the proposal after discovering disposable lighters within detention cells during last weekend’s prison shakedown.
The NOPPO chief believes inmates are using drugs inside the jail facility, pointing out, the said contraband should not be inside the premises.
Over the weekend, authorities recovered television sets, DVD players, mobile phones, portable lighters, along with shanks and other bladed weapons, but no illegal drugs.
Baleros said the seized phones will be examined and recommended jail officials ban portable lighters from prison premises as they could be used in order to sniff illegal drugs such as shabu.
Jail warden, Jail Senior Inspector Norberto Meciano, meanwhile, said they have since adopted more strict entry policies for visitors.
Last month, Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer confirmed an inmate inside the district jail had been using the facility as a “command center” for illegal drug operations.
He added, there is an ongoing investigation.
The issue stemmed from the seizure of P7.3 million worth of suspected shabu along South Capitol Road in Bacolod City. Police Lieutenant Thurslie Castillo, head of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit-Negros Occidental (RDEU-Negros Occidental), said the suspect, Ronaldo Roquero, Jr. of Talisay City, can be considered a provincial-level high-value target because of the volume of drugs recovered.
Roquero told police the seized items were sourced from Manila and he was tasked to distribute across the province by two district jail inmates.
The RDEU official added, Roquero linked suspected drug lord Michael Divinagracia to their illegal drug transactions but did not elaborate on his role./DGB, WDJ