DRUG INVENTORY. Personnel of Bacolod City Police Station 8 conduct an inventory of some PHP40,000 worth of suspected shabu recovered from suspect Wilfredo Nedruda at Purok Neptune, Barangay Singcang-Airport on Thursday night (Oct. 3, 2019). The operation was part of the series of buy-busts ahead of the 40th MassKara Festival next week. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City Police Office)
BACOLOD CITY -- The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is intensifying its campaign against illegal drugs particularly with the 40th MassKara Festival set to open on October 7.
Lt. Col. Ariel Pico, BCPO public information officer, said on Friday that operatives need to be aggressive especially during a major occasion when there is expected high demand for the prohibited substance.
This week, police personnel seized PHP2.2 million worth of suspected shabu in a series of buy-busts across the city.
Pico said these recoveries could be intended as a supply for the MassKara Festival.
The latest haul before midnight on Thursday amounted to PHP40,000 recovered from suspect Wilfredo Nedruda at Purok Neptune, Barangay Singcang-Airport during an operation conducted by the Police Station 8.
Nedruda, 35, sold a sachet of the prohibited substance to an undercover policeman worth PHP500 and also yielded eight more sachets during his arrest.
Around 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Jazel Villamor, 31, was caught red-handed selling PHP300 in shabu to a poseur-buyer in Purok Maabi-abihon, Barangay 35.
Operatives of Police Station 1 recovered from Villamor three sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of PHP45,000.
At 5:30 p.m. on the same day, operatives of Police Station 3 arrested 21-year-old Junel Billones in Purok Halandumon 1, Barangay Banago.
During the buy-bust, Billones sold PHP500 in shabu to an undercover policeman and also yielded 11 sachets of the prohibited substance with an estimated street value of PHP750,500.
On Tuesday, high-value target Joel Canlas, 31, was arrested in Purok Sigay, Barangay 2 after selling shabu worth PHP500 to a poseur-buyer around 4 p.m.
Personnel of Police Station 7 also seized from Canlas four sachets of shabu valued at PHP48,000.
Earlier at 2 p.m., John Carlo Serfino, 24, along with a male minor, was apprehended selling PHP1,000 worth of the prohibited substance to an undercover policeman in Barangay Banago.
The operation, conducted by the City Drug Enforcement Unit, also resulted in the recovery of 27 sachets of shabu valued at PHP1.32 million. (PNA)
