By CESAR JOLITO III

Three drug suspects were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in Bacolod City on Sunday, September 21, with police seizing a combined total of P353,600 worth of suspected shabu.

At around 4:26 p.m. in Barangay 30’s Purok Pilipinhon, operatives of Police Station 6 (PS6) arrested alias Fritz, a resident of the same barangay.

Confiscated from him were two grams of suspected shabu valued at P13,600.

Police reports indicated that Fritz had previously been monitored in Barangay 27 but later returned to Barangay 30 after a fire incident in his former community.

He denied allegations linking him to the fire, claiming he even helped rescue a child during the incident.

The Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) investigation reportedly cleared him, with faulty wiring identified as the cause of the blaze.

However, the PS6 noted that residents of Barangay 27 had pointed to him as the alleged source of the fire, though further action will depend on the BFP’s official findings.

He is now facing charges for violating Sections 5 and 11, Article 2 of Republic Act (RA) 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).

Meanwhile, the City Drug Enforcement Unit conducted another buy-bust operation at Purok Kagaykay, Barangay 2 at around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday.

The operation led to the arrest of two suspects — alias Niel of Barangay 2, and alias Charlie of Barangay Taloc in Negros Occidental’s Bago City.

Authorities recovered about 50 grams of suspected shabu valued at P340,000 during the sting, along with other items that prompted additional charges under RA 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act).

Both suspects will also face drug-related cases under RA 9165.

All arrested suspects are now in police custody as charges are being readied against them./CJ, WDJ