By CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City — An anti-illegal drugs operation in a residential compound in Purok San Jose, Brgy. Alijis here the other day yielded not only huge amounts of suspected shabu but also scores of drug paraphernalia, firearms and ammunition.
Five people were arrested in the operation that targeted Benito “Morito” Benares, a known suspected drug pusher in the barangay.
Benares, however, slipped from the hands of the authorities. He escaped along with another drug suspect, William Chua.
The operation was staged at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. About 50 policemen surrounded the compound where Benares, nephew of former city mayor Carlos Benares, lives.
Operatives of the Bacolod City Police Office’s (BCPO) Special Operations Group (SOG), Intelligence Unit and City Public Safety Battalion swooped down on the compound following a test buy.
Benares handed over an elongated plastic sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur buyer in exchange for P700.
When the operatives charged, Benares and Chua ran and jumped over the compound’s concrete perimeter fence, police said.
Arrested were Jonathan Dumlao of Block 9, Lot 20, Carmenville Subdivision, Brgy. Mansilingan here; Paul Bilbao of Purok Progreso, Brgy. Alijis; and Merriam Benares, Hansel Benares, and William Chua’s son, Bong.
Recovered from Benares’ house were several plastic sachets of suspected shabu, a digital weighing scale, a mobile phone, and P32,000 cash believed to be proceeds from drug sale.
Meanwhile, seized from Chua’s house were four big plastic sachets of suspected shabu, two weighing scales, and a rolled aluminum foil.
Also seized from Chua’s house were firearms and ammunition, including a loaded 12-gauge magnum shotgun (serial no. 1131947), a .9mm handgun (serial no. SP02596) with an empty magazine, two short empty M16 magazines, two short loaded M16 magazines, two long empty M16 magazines and two boxes of M16 ammunition.
Confiscated from Bong Chua were two big plastic sachets of suspected shabu, an elongated plastic sachet of the same substance, an improvised tooter, two plastic straws, two disposable lighters, 31 pieces of carbine live ammunition and two rifle grenades.
Seized from Merriam Benares were two big plastic sachets of suspected shabu, two dried marijuana fruiting tops in a plastic sachet, three plastic straws, two disposable lighters and an electronic sealer.
Senior Insp. Jose Mulleta, SOG head, said all the confiscated suspected shabu amounted to “more or less P100,000.”
Senior Supt. Larry Decena, BCPO officer-in-charge, believes that Benares was selling and using shabu and that “someone that supplies (him with) the illegal (substance).”
Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition were filed against the suspects before the City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday.
Decena said a resident of Brgy. Alijis tipped them off about the illegal operation in the compound. He also said the BCPO vows to intensify operations against illegal drugs./PN
