By Felipe V Celino
ROXAS CITY, Capiz – A vulcanizer, deemed a street-level individual (SLI), was arrested on Saturday afternoon, March 9, during a drug buy-bust operation led by combined forces from the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit of the Capiz Provincial Police Office and the Mambusao, Sapian, and Sigma Municipal Police Stations in Brgy. Atiplo, Mambusao, Capiz.
The suspect, identified as Niño Rufino, 29, of the same village, was apprehended after he sold a sachet of suspected shabu to an undercover officer.
Additionally, authorities seized five more sachets of the substance, P1,500 in buy-bust money, and a pouch from Rufino.
The seized drugs weigh approximately 5 grams with an estimated street value of P34,000.
Rufino is currently detained at the Mambusao PNP station, and he faces charges under Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
In a related case, two brothers, who were arrested in a drug bust the previous Friday, had been under extensive police surveillance prior to their apprehension.
Lt. Aahron Darhyl Villanueva, the acting chief of the Panay Municipal Police Station, confirmed that Edgielo Bocala, 23, and John Mark Bocala, 29, from Barangay Calapawan, Panay, Capiz, are both classified as SLIs.
According to Villanueva, John Mark Bocala was previously detained for a similar charge but was released after entering a plea bargaining agreement. His younger brother, Edgielo, became involved in the illicit trade subsequently.
