Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are still the main sources of illegal drugs, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 6 (PDEA-6).

PDEA-6 spokesperson Shey Tanaleon yesterday said that based on their seizure and arrest of suspected drug pushers, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are still among the main sources of drug pushers who ventured in Panay Island, especially in Iloilo City.

“If we have to base sa aton dakop kag seizure nagagwa nga amo nga mga lugar [Negros Occidental and Bacolod City] ang ginkuhaan nila sang drugs nga dinadala sa Iloilo kag other provinces. But we are lucky that most of the drug pushers from Bacolod or Negros Occidental were arrested,” Tanaleon said.

She added that drug groups continue to use new faces, who are not familiar to the police, as drug couriers.

“That’s why we are conducting revalidation to the drug-cleared barangays to monitor if there are new faces of drug pushers in the area,” Tanaleon said.

Two weeks ago, PDEA operatives arrested an ex-convict in an anti-drug operation in Barangay Tagbak in Iloilo City’s Jaro district.

The 42-year-old drug suspect identified as Ramel Delgado, a resident of Barangay Alijis in Bacolod, was tagged as “high-value” target.

He was caught selling P22,000 worth of suspected shabu to a poseur-buyer. Authorities also seized nine more sachets of the prohibited substance valued at around P480,000.

He was detained at the custodial facility of the PDEA-6. (Ruby Silubrico)/WDJ