By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) will begin to step up anti-drug operations in the coming weeks before the MassKara Festival in October.

BCPO director, Police Colonel Noel Aliño said on Thursday night, August 17, they are expecting bigger confiscations more than two months before MassKara.

They believe that the recent operations, arresting high-value individuals (HVIs), are signs that drug dealers in the city have already begun stocking up supplies of illegal drugs, as it will become in demand during the festivities in October.

Aliño said he ordered police commanders and anti-drug operatives to prioritize targeting HVIs, or those he personally called “the roots.” 

He added that if HVIs are caught, then the supply flow of illegal drugs in the city will also be disrupted.

Based on their latest monitoring, the BCPO director said street-level drug suspects are already finding it difficult to get access to their supply of illegal drugs.

Earlier this month, the BCPO seized a total of P8.82 million worth of suspected shabu in the city’s Barangay Singcang-Airport, and arrested 31-year-old Gycelle Bonagua, a resident of Pampanga province’s Angeles City.

It was followed by another drug buy-bust operation in the city’s Barangay Vista Alegre, where 45-year-old Michael “Tata/Toto” Frias was arrested with P14.3 million worth of suspected shabu.

The arrested drug suspects were later identified to be members of the Caunda Drug Group.

Last week, BCPO offered a bounty worth P100,000 to anyone who could provide information that would lead to the arrest of alleged Caunda Drug Group leader, Camaria Caunda.

Aliño is confident that they will be able to topple the operations of the drug syndicate that has been operating in the city since 2019./DGB, WDJ