BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – An estimated P1 million worth of suspected shabu was seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the BREDCO port here yesterday afternoon.
Authorities also arrested a suspect – Marcial Delos Santos Jr. of La Paz, Iloilo City.
PDEA agent “Dalisay” said that prior to Delos Santos’ turn to be inspected by the agency’s Sea Interdiction Unit, the suspect – a person with disability – was already acting nervously. When his turn to be inspected came, he refused to have his bag checked using the terminal’s x-ray scanner.
The PDEA team then separated Delos Santos from the other passengers and his bag was sniffed by one of the drug-sniffing dogs.
The dog then sat down, signaling to the PDEA agents that there were illegal drugs in the bag. Agent Dalisay then called in another drug-sniffing dog from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) BREDCO sub-station for confirmation; again the dog reacted to the agents confirming the find.
When PDEA agents opened the bag, they discovered three packs of suspected shabu inside a pair of socks with a combined weight of 150 grams and valued at around P1,020,000.
PDEA said, from what they have gathered so far, the shabu originated from Barangay Banago here.
The suspect, now detained, faces charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002./PN
