By CESAR JOLITO III

Seven drug suspects, including two minors, were arrested in a series of coordinated buy-bust operations in Negros Occidental over the weekend, resulting in the confiscation of over P172,000 worth of illegal drugs.

Operatives from Ilog Municipal Police Station nabbed “Vicente,” 35 years old, a laborer from the town’s Barangay Delicioso, on Saturday morning, July 5, after he was caught selling a sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer at Barangay 1’s Purok Embarcadero.

A total of three sachets weighing approximately 1.3 grams, valued at P8,840, were recovered along with the P500 marked buy-bust money.

At 1:47 p.m. on the same day, Silay City police arrested “Jecel,” 41 years old, a jobless resident of Barangay E. Lopez’s Hacienda La Purisima.

Six sachets of suspected shabu totaling around three grams, valued at P20,400, were confiscated from Jecel.

Authorities also recovered P500 in marked money and several non-drug items.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old suspect was arrested in a sting operation at Purok Ilak in Valladolid town’s Barangay Central Tabao at 2:11 p.m. on Saturday.

The suspect, reportedly jobless, handed over a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover officer and was found with a total of two sachets weighing about a gram and worth P6,800.

A black coin purse and P500 marked money were also confiscated.

In a separate operation, 10 sachets of suspected shabu were seized from four individuals — “Benjie,” “Joric,” “Ronnie,” and a 16-year-old minor — at Sitio Dacutan in Silay’s Barangay Mambulac at 12:30 a.m. yesterday.

Police operatives confiscated the suspected illegal substance weighing around 20 grams with an estimated standard drug price of P136,000.

Also recovered were P3,000 in buy-bust money, two improvised tooters, and other drug paraphernalia.

The suspects are now in police custody and will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002./CJ, WDJ