By CESAR JOLITO III

Police operatives in Negros Occidental arrested several individuals and confiscated a large volume of suspected illegal drugs during separate buy-bust operations on Wednesday afternoon, January 14.

In Pontevedra town, operatives arrested a 23-year-old laborer identified by the alias “Ver” at 3:55 p.m. in Purok Melendres, Barangay Antipolo.

Police said “Ver” was apprehended after selling a heat-sealed plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance, believed to be shabu, to a police poseur-buyer in exchange for marked money.

Confiscated from the suspect were approximately seven grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of P47,600.

The suspect was taken into police custody.

An inventory of the seized items was conducted in accordance with Section 21 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The evidence was forwarded to the Philippine National Police Provincial Forensic Unit for laboratory examination.

Meanwhile, in a separate operation at 5:27 p.m. at Hacienda Bato in E.B. Magalona’s Barangay Nanca, police operatives arrested six individuals and identified another suspect who remains at large.

The arrested suspects included a 17-year-old male.

Another known suspect managed to evade arrest.

The suspects allegedly conspired in the illegal drug trade and were apprehended after selling a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover officer.

Authorities recovered approximately 140 grams of suspected shabu worth P952,000.

Police said documentation is underway for the filing of charges for violations of Republic Act 9165.

The suspects are currently under the custody of their respective municipal police stations for proper disposition./CJ, WDJ