DRUG DEN DISMANTLED. Agents of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and personnel of San Carlos City Police Station in Negros Occidental arrest seven persons and seized about PHP240,000 worth of suspected shabu in the northern city’s Barangay 5 on Tuesday. The suspects were inside a drug den, where the buy-bust took place. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 6)
BACOLOD CITY -- More than PHP1 million worth of suspected shabu were seized by drug enforcement operatives in Negros Occidental during five buy-bust operations across the province in less than 24 hours, police reports showed.
Three operations took place in the north, including Victorias City, where the buy-bust in Barangay 20 on Wednesday morning led to the death of suspect Royan Sanchez.
Operatives recovered 18 sachets of the prohibited substance worth about PHP600,000 and a .38 caliber revolver with four live ammunition.
A report from the Police Regional Office-6 (Western Visayas) said the incident, which took place around 6:20 a.m., was an armed encounter, but Sanchez’s siblings said in a radio interview their brother did not resist the operatives.
The operation was conducted by personnel of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office Drug Enforcement Unit and Victorias City Police Station.
On Tuesday, operatives of Silay City Police Station seized eight sachets of shabu with an estimated value of PHP105,000 from suspect Edison Reyes Jr., 40.
Reyes was arrested around 12:15 p.m. at Buenavista, Barangay Guinhalaran after selling PHP5,500 worth of the prohibited substance to an undercover police officer.
Five hours later, seven suspects, who yielded about PHP240,000 in shabu, were arrested in a drug den at Barangay 5 in San Carlos City.
Police identified the suspects as Benedicto Legaspina, 33; Jemmy Barbon, 48; Jeriel Macapaso, 30; Teofilo Reantoco, 39; Reyjen Oro, 22; Leemark Cantere, 19; and a 15-year-old boy.
The buy-bust took place around 5:15 p.m. when Legaspina sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover buyer of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) team led by Intelligence Agent I Sisa Cortez, who was joined by personnel of San Carlos City Police Station.
In the south, seven persons were also arrested by the police in Sitio Bagroy, Barangay Delicioso in Ilog town around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Police identified the suspects as Paul Regalado, 42; Jeffrey Cortez, 44: Hector Milla, 34; Sunday Bustamante, 28; Francis Gerard Caingcoy, 29: Maria Teresa Biene, 21; and Justine Cañete, 18.
Operatives recovered four big and two small sachets of shabu with an estimated value of PHP100,000, a 9mm pistol loaded with three live ammunition, a car, three motorcycles, and illegal drug paraphernalia, among others.
In neighboring Kabankalan City, high-value target Armida Gutierrez was arrested by operatives at Hacienda Flora, Barangay Hilamonan around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The 61-year-old suspect sold a sachet of shabu worth PHP500 to a police poseur-buyer and also yielded nine more sachets valued at about PHP20,000. (PNA)
