7 nabbed, over P1-M shabu seized in Bacolod, Silay cities

SEVEN PERSONS were arrested and more than PHP1 million worth of suspected shabu recovered in three separate buy-bust operations conducted by operatives of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) over the weekend.   

The operations team was led by Lt. Paul Vincent Pendon, officer-in-charge of CDEU.

Around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, Reynaldo Villaespin, 38, sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500 to an undercover policeman, which led to his arrest in Purok Progreso, Barangay Taculing.

The suspect also yielded six small and 11 big sachets of the same prohibited substance weighing about 55 grams with a street value of PHP605,000.

Lt. Col. Ariel Pico, public information officer of BCPO, said that Villaespin can be considered as high-value individual (HVI) since a suspect possessing at least 10 grams of shabu can be considered as such.

Ten minutes before midnight on Friday, operatives collared Editha Rose Sepe, 35, and Mariel Salmingo, 22, on Galo-Lopez Jaena Street in Barangay 27.

The police poseur-buyer bought a sachet of shabu for PHP500 from the suspects, who were also found possessing two big sachets weighing some five grams with a street value of PHP40,000.

Earlier at 11 p.m., three suspects were also arrested in Purok Sigay, Barangay 2.

They were identified as Norvic Nacanaynay, Efren Gonzaga, and Michael Villanueva, who sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover policeman.

The suspects also yielded various drug paraphernalia and five big and two elongated sachets of shabu with an estimated weight of 26 grams valued at PHP286,000.

Also on Saturday, Marvin Santillan was arrested by personnel of Silay City Police Station in a buy-bust at Hacienda Malisbog 1, Barangay Hawaiian.

The 38-year-old suspect sold PHP4,000 worth of the prohibited substance to a poseur-buyer during the operation around 10:15 a.m.

Operatives seized from Santillan a total of eight sachets of shabu weighing about 10 grams with a market value of PHP150,000.

During the community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the police said the cost of shabu in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental has doubled up to PHP17,000 per gram due to limited supply caused by travel restrictions.(By Nanette Guadalquive)