By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested 14 persons and rescued two minors during a raid in a suspected drug den at Barangay VI, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental Tuesday.
Arrested were alleged drug den maintainer Elma Bartolin, and 13 others identified as Carlos Caballero, Dilia Flora, Ryan Caño, Eddie Boy Barbadillo, Lastly Bartolin, Charles Ian Anonas, Dexter Sibuyan, Janmar Abarquez, Cecile Boy Blanco, Jorge Pasilan, Jiondy Recesio, Niño Kim Bartolin, Jerry Cayetano. The names of the minors were withheld.
According to the PDEA, the 13 arrested persons were considered visitors of Bartolin since they were present when the operation was conducted.
PDEA seized about 20 grams of suspected shabu worth P136,000.
Drug charges are being readied against the arrested persons.
P1.7-M IN ‘SHABU’ SEIZED
Meanwhile, authorities seized an estimated P1,789,000 worth of suspected shabu in separate anti-illegal drug operations and arrested 57 persons in Negros island from February 15 to 24.
Bacolod City scored the biggest confiscation at P663,800 worth of drugs, followed by Negros Oriental (P652,800), and Negros Occidental (P472,400).
In terms of arrested persons, Negros Occidental ranked first with 27, followed by Bacolod City with 21, and Negros Oriental with nine.
In Bacolod City, buy-bust operations were conducted by Police Stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) at Barangays 2, 8, 10, 11, 16, 22, Mansilingan, Punta Taytay, Estefania, Singcang-Airport, Villamonte, Bata, Banago, and Handumanan.
In Negros Occidental, the drug bust and police checkpoint operations were conducted at the cities of La Carlota, Talisay, Victorias, Escalante, San Carlos, Silay, Bago, Sagay, Kabankalan, and Cadiz, and the towns of Ilog, Valladolid, Hinigaran, and Calatrava.
In Negros Oriental, drug raids were conducted in Dumaguete City and the towns of Tayasan and Sibulan.
