By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Negros Occidental said Tuesday that the P13.9 million worth of suspected shabu seized in San Carlos City last Monday was believed to be sourced from a Chinese drug syndicate.
This was revealed by PDEA-Negros Occidental officer-in-charge Nicolas Gomez, claiming that the contraband was “imported” based on its packaging.
The suspected crystal meth was wrapped with rubber and placed inside an imported Chinese tea bag to avoid detection at the seaport.
Gomez cited that in July 2020, PDEA seized around P136 million worth of illegal drugs from two Chinese drug dealers and their Filipino accomplice in a buy-bust in Quezon City, Metro Manila.
He said that the drugs in Quezon City had the same packaging used in contrabands that were recovered in the series of operations in San Carlos City, Cebu, and Sibulan in Negros Oriental.
It is likely that the substances came from the same source.
Last Sunday, P47 million worth of suspected shabu was also seized from three persons in Cebu, and another P13.7 million of the same drugs was also confiscated in a bloody drug bust in Sibulan town.
“It’s possible that these items have yet to be distributed in other areas because of the community quarantine status and the strict security measures amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,” Gomez said.
He said that the contraband was transported via San Carlos because the place is a strategic area for transhipment, considering that it is close to the region of Cebu, and the oriental side.
With the recent development, Gomez said they will continue to strengthen their intelligence gathering, as he noted that the recent accomplishments were products of their intensified intelligence monitoring.
He also stressed the importance of the involvement of the community. “The concern of the people in the community to report any suspicious actions in their respective areas can help authorities arrest drug personalities.
‘ALARMING’
Meanwhile, Colonel Romy Palgue, director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo), said in a regular virtual press conference yesterday, that the drug recovery in San Carlos City was “very alarming,” considering its huge value and weight.
Palgue said the seized contraband will be subjected to purity test to check its similarity with the seized substances in Cebu and Sibulan town.
He said they tapped other law enforcement agencies to help them in their anti-illegal drug operations.
“We will extend and strengthen our collaboration, cooperation, and corroboration with other neighboring cities and towns, as well as regions to determine the real source of the contraband,” he added.
He also noted the significance of the people in every barangay since they know the people in their respective areas.
He urged every family to help the police in the fight against illegal drugs.
He noted that if there’s no demand for drugs, there will be no supply.
“Bakuran ang barangay kontra COVID, ganoon din dapat i-address ang problema sa droga para hindi na mag spread at madali ma crack down ang high value targets. Bawat pamliya bakuran niyo kasi kayo-kayo lang naman magkakilala, so alam niyo kung sino ang gumagamit (ng drugs) o hindi,” he said.
He said they are doing extra efforts to prevent the recurrence of the incident.
Nocppo is also intensifying their intelligence monitoring. “We will dig deeper into it,” he said.
