By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Not even the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) dissuaded suspected drug peddlers from selling narcotics here.
On Monday, personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group-Special Operations Unit 4 and 7, together with the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU)-6 seized around two kilograms of suspected shabu worth P13.6 million in a buy-bust at Barangay Singcang-Airport.
The team arrested Jun Mark Ibe, 28, of Barangay Taculing here, his live-in partner Regine Arroz, 28, and their househelper Shiela Mhary Balarao, 34, both residents of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.
Captain Jun Ray Batadlan, head of Police Station 8, said the drug bust was a follow-up operation of the PNP-DEG after their recent bust in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Batadlan said national authorities received information from their recent operation regarding the alleged shipment of illegal drugs from Marikina to Bacolod, prompting them to travel here.
Batadlan said police operatives tailed Balarao from the warehouse of a courier firm where she was allegedly asked by Ibe to get the shipment towards their rented house here, where the transaction was conducted.
Batadlan said sachets of suspected shabu were wrapped in a black paper and hidden among powdered milk and cereals.
He said they wondered why the suspects sent milk and cereals from Metro Manila which are also available here.
“Indi ka na matingala nga mapadala ka gatas and cereals na may ari man na diri sa Bacolod? Tani iscrutinize man ina ka courier firm,” the station commander added.
Batadlan said it was the third shipment from Luzon to Bacolod from a source, whom the suspects refused to name.
“First shipment two kilograms, then 1.5 kilograms, both were successful, until na intercept ni ang third shipment,” he added.
Batadlan said the contraband might be due for distribution here and maybe Negros or other areas.
Police also recovered from the trio the P1,000 marked money, fake money, and P29,000 personal cash.
Batadlan said the suspects rented the house for two months already.
“Damo man sila gina sayluhan na balay,” he added.
Arroz’s 10-year-old daughter and her babysitter were in the house during the operation. The child was turned over to her grandmother for custody.
In a media interview, Ibe said he was supposed to get some feeds which they sell when he was caught during the operation.
He said he has no idea about the contraband, and he denied involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Balarao, who was hired as a house helper for about a month now, said she had no idea about the items inside the box.
Arroz, on the other hand, has yet to comment on the allegations against her.
All three suspects are detained at Police Station 8.
Meanwhile, village chief Rosinie Distrito advised house owners to ensure that renters are not involved in any illegal activity to prevent the same from happening.
Distrito lauded the authorities for their continued aggressiveness in the campaign against illegal drugs amid the pandemic.
