BUSTED. Drug suspect Joemarie “Mario” Tapalla (left) watches as a policeman conducts an inventory on the more than PHP1 million worth of suspected shabu seized from him during a buy-bust operation inside a Bacolod pension house on Saturday night (Sept. 1, 2018). (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City Police Office)
BACOLOD CITY -- A newly-identified drug suspect was arrested in a buy-bust that yielded more than PHP1 million worth of suspected shabu at Rio Bella Pension House on Lacson Extension, Barangay Singcang-Airport, here Saturday night.
Joemarie “Mario” Tapalla, 50, sold a sachet of shabu for PHP500 to a poseur-buyer, leading to his arrest around 8 p.m. inside the establishment’s Room No. 5.
The operation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Team of Police Station 8, headed by Chief Insp. Ruel Culanag.
Tapalla, resident of Purok San Roque, Barangay Handumanan in this city, was found possessing 15 big sachets of shabu weighing 87.11 grams.
Operatives also seized from him a digital weighing scale, disposable lighter, pair of scissors, and PHP700 cash, among others.
Meanwhile, Lyzalyn Benal, 38, was arrested in a separate buy-bust in Purok Bagongbuhay, Barangay 23 around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Operatives of Police Station 4 seized from the suspect five sachets of suspected shabu, improvised tooter, brown pouch, and PHP300 marked money.
Benal, who is on the station’s drugs watchlist, has been subjected to Oplan Tokhang, but did not surrender.
The two suspects are facing charges of violation of Section 5 (sale of dangerous drugs), Section 11 (possession of dangerous drugs) and Section 12 (possession of equipment for dangerous drugs) of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. (PNA)
