By CESAR JOLITO III
In a major blow to the illegal drug trade, authorities in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City recorded two successive operations that led to the arrest of two high-value drug personalities and the seizure of more than P1 million worth of suspected shabu.
In Negros Occidental’s Victorias City, operatives of the City Component Police Station nabbed a 44-year-old suspect identified as alias “Conrado,” a resident of Barangay 13, during a buy-bust operation on Thursday, October 9.
The operation resulted in the confiscation of approximately 51 grams of suspected shabu with a total market value of P346,800, alongside drug paraphernalia and marked buy-bust money.
Conrado, classified as a high-value individual, was apprehended after a confidential informant confirmed his involvement in illegal drug transactions in the area.
Recovered from the suspect were seven sachets of suspected shabu, one improvised tooter with shabu residue, and P500 in marked money.
The seized evidence has been turned over to the Negros Occidental Provincial Forensic Unit for examination.
Meanwhile, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) successfully carried out a separate buy-bust operation just hours later that netted another high-value target and a larger quantity of illegal drugs.
Police identified the suspect as alias “Luis,” 33 years old, a resident of Barangay Singcang-Airport.
He was arrested at around 12:32 a.m. yesterday, along Gatuslao Street in Barangay 8.
Confiscated during the operation were around 100 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P680,000, along with buy-bust money and other related items.
The suspect is now facing charges for violation of Sections 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs) and 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) under Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Both operations are part of an intensified, intelligence-driven effort to dismantle illegal drug networks and pursue high-value targets operating in the Negros Island Region (NIR).
PRO-NIR Director Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay commended the operatives of both police offices for their “swift and coordinated actions,” emphasizing that the results reflect the unified and aggressive stance of law enforcement agencies against illegal drugs.
“These operations demonstrate our strengthened coordination among units and our sustained determination to rid every community of drug influence,” Ibay said.
“We call on the public to continue supporting our efforts by reporting suspicious drug activities in their areas,” he added.
The PRO-NIR and BCPO reaffirmed their joint commitment to make Negros Island a safer, drug-free region through continuous surveillance, community engagement and intelligence-led operations against those who continue to peddle illegal drugs./CJ, WDJ