By CESAR JOLITO III

Jail authorities intercepted a suspected illegal drug during a routine security inspection at the Metro Bacolod District Jail – Male Dormitory Annex in Barangay Handumanan on Saturday morning, February 7.

According to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), a female jail officer conducted a standard pat-down frisking on a visitor in the jail’s searching area.

During the inspection, the officer noticed a protruding object inside the visitor’s left pocket.

The visitor was immediately instructed to remove all unnecessary items.

As she complied, a heat-sealed sachet containing a white crystalline substance, suspected to be methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, fell from her pocket.

BJMP, in a statement, said the confiscation of the suspected illegal drug and the subsequent arrest of the visitor were carried out in accordance with Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, as well as existing provisions of the BJMP Operations Manual./CJ, WDJ