By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – Police arrested five individuals, including a casual government employee, in separate buy-bust operations here and in Negros Occidental over the weekend.
Operatives from the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) apprehended a suspect identified as “Sandy,” 26, of Barangay 2, during a drug bust at Purok Tahong, Barangay 2, at around 5:33 a.m. Saturday.
The suspect allegedly yielded 75 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP 510,000.
Police Lt. Col. Antonio Benitez Jr., CDEU head, classified the suspect as a high-value individual due to the recovery of more than 50 grams of illegal drugs.
Benitez said they are investigating the suspect’s background to determine if he has previous offenses.
The suspect is currently detained at Police Station 2.
On Sunday, three men were arrested in a rented house in Barangay Pahanocoy, with 52 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP 353,600 confiscated.
Police Capt. Greeky Cayao, head of Police Station 8, said two of the suspects had been previously arrested for drug offenses and were categorized as high-value individuals, while the third was classified as a street-level individual.
In a separate operation, a 42-year-old government employee of the Silay City government was arrested at the Silay public plaza in Barangay 3 at around 4 p.m. Saturday.
The suspect, a resident of Barangay Rizal, was caught with 13 grams of suspected shabu valued at PHP 88,400.
Police Major Rhea Villanueva, deputy chief of Silay City Police Station, said the suspect was a newly hired employee who replaced her father, who had resigned a few months ago.
The suspect was assigned to the Silay City Civil Security Office, according to police.
Villanueva noted that the suspect had been previously arrested for a drug offense but was released through a plea bargaining agreement.
Police received information that the suspect had allegedly resumed illegal drug activities, prompting them to monitor her actions and conduct the operation.
Villanueva said this was the eighth government worker arrested by the Silay City police force this year.
On Monday, November 11, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-6 also apprehended a 26-year-old man in a drug bust at Sitio Sibucao, Barangay Banago, Bacolod City. Authorities seized suspected shabu worth PHP 136,000 during the operation.
