Greyhounds yield drug materials, bladed objects
Drug paraphernalia as well as bladed and sharp instruments were among those confiscated in separate greyhound operations conducted in the city jail facilities of Talisay, Naga and Danao on Thursday and yesterday morning.
At the Talisay City Jail, tin foil strips used as drug paraphernalia along with some contraband were confiscated by the city’s Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) during the joint greyhound operation conducted early morning yesterday.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in coordination with Talisay police and representatives from the Talisay City Fire Department inspected a total of seven cottages in the jail facility, one cottage for females and six for males.
Aside from the seven pieces of rolled tin foil, operatives also confiscated five shavers, one set of series lights, one ballpoint pen, one pencil, two pieces of disposable lighters, two pieces of broken glass, one screwdriver, one piece of metal wire, two pieces of improvised curtain, and two broken parts from an electric stove.
Talisay City Jail has a total of 762 inmates with 688 males and 74 females.
Jail Warden Superintendent Gil Inopia said that their facility has conducted the most number of greyhound operations with a total count of 44 times just for the third quarter period of this year.
Inopia said that they received a memorandum from higher officials to conduct the greyhound operation in preparation for the National Correctional Consciousness Week to ensure that there would be no contraband inside the facility.
For the past months, they have been conducting daily greyhound operations.
On the strafing incident, Inopia said he believes that the perpetrators of the most recent incident, which happened just last Sunday, are in the same group responsible for the previous two incidents.
He said the group may be angry because the facility has been stricter in implementing jail rules and that they want to scare the BJMP officials by shooting at the facility’s front gate.
Meanwhile, City of Naga BJMP together with police operatives also conducted a greyhound operation in the city’s jail facility yesterday morning.
BJMP personnel confiscated three pieces of nail cutters, two pieces of double A batteries, one wooden stick, and one razor blade.
Naga City Jail Warden Mark Tuñacao said the facility has a total of 395 inmates, with 363 males and 32 females. These inmates are housed in 12 cells, 10 for males and 2 for females.
Tuñacao, who was assigned to the jail facility just last August, said that this was the second time they conducted a greyhound operation in the facility this year.
In Danao City, several sharp objects were recovered from the inmates of Danao City Jail during the greyhound operation conducted Thursday morning.
The operatives of Danao City BJMP in coordination with the city police confiscated several cutters, scissors, a fork, can opener, and some tablespoons. Also confiscated were lighters, belts, matches and playing cards.
Police Chief Inspector Gerard Ace Pelare, chief of Danao City police, said that they conducted the greyhound operation in order to have a safe and drug free facility.