By JEN BAYLON
Police believe that the confiscated large supply of illegal drugs in Bacolod City in recent days is being reserved, possibly due to the growing demand in time for the MassKara Festival.
In a radio interview yesterday, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director Colonel Joeresty Coronica said there is demand for illegal drugs where people gather, such as festivals.
Coronica insisted that if shabu worth millions were seized in Bacolod, it did not mean that all of them would be sold or used in the city.
He added that these illegal drugs do not come from Bacolod.
They may have come from Luzon, Cebu, Mindanao, and other parts of the country, and are shipped with parcels that are often bought from online shops, Coronica said.
As a transshipment point, Bacolod is easily accessible to illegal drugs, which is why all government agencies must work together to monitor ports, he added.
Strengthened campaign
Meanwhile, the Bacolod City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) has stepped up its monitoring of illegal drugs in the city, which has resulted in the recovery of millions worth of illegal substance, especially in the midst of the celebration of this year’s MassKara Festival.
CDEU head Lt. Colonel Antonio Benitez said it is inevitable that many individuals have the intention of introducing illegal drugs into the city.
Authorities are currently trying to arrest the suspects who were carrying the bulk of illegal drugs because, according to CDEU’s monitoring, some supplies of recovered shabu came from Negros Occidental’s San Carlos City, Cebu and Manila.
The authorities are now seeking coordination with airport and port personnel to step up the checking of passengers’ luggage.
Furthermore, Coronica said their campaign against illegal drugs has been strengthened due to increasing reports from concerned citizens regarding the presence of drug dealers in the city.
He said informants and assets are being incentivized to aid in the swift identification and arrest of suspects involved in drug trafficking.
The city police director has also emphasized the importance of community involvement in tackling the drug problem.
The BCPO’s proactive measures aim to ensure a safer environment for the community, promoting both security and public safety, as they prepare for the highlights of the MassKara Festival from October 26 to 27.
It can be recalled that millions worth of drugs have been seized by BCPO in recent days before and after the festival’s Grand Countdown Salubong last October 11.
The series of buy-bust operations led to the arrest of several individuals, and confiscation of P9 million worth of suspected shabu over the weekend amid intensified security operations.
On Monday, October 14, operatives of Police Station 2 arrested alias “Elizabeth” and “Jupet” at Purok Rose in Barangay 9 after they yielded 500 grams of suspected shabu worth P3.4 million.
Earlier this week, a suspect alias “Biboy,” a resident of Barangay Villamonte, was arrested after he yielded 500 grams of suspected shabu in Barangay Singcang-Airport, during an operation by Police Station 8 and the CDEU.
Over the weekend, 65-year-old alias “Mariloe” was arrested during a buy-bust in Barangay Banago’s Sitio Sibucao.
Found in the suspect’s possession were 90 grams of suspected shabu worth P612,000.
Three drug suspects were arrested in separate buy-bust operations last week.
A week before the opening of the MassKara Festival, alias “Toto” was arrested in Barangay 10’s Purok Magti-ayon on October 1, after 50 grams of suspected shabu worth P340,000 were found in his possession.
On the following day, alias “Jefferson” was collared by operatives of Police Station 7 in Purok Kahirup A in Barangay Mansilingan after he yielded about 15 grams of shabu valued at P102,000.
On October 3, alias “Inday” was arrested in a buy-bust in Purok Langis, Barangay Banago.
Around 80 grams of suspected shabu worth P544,000 were found in her possession, the police report said./ With reports from PNA / JB, WDJ