P.8M drugs seized during jail raid
DUMAGUETE CITY — Authorities on Thursday seized several packs of suspected shabu worth close to a million pesos, along with cash, cellphones, and other contraband items at the Negros Oriental Detention and Rehabilitation Center (NODRC).
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Negros Oriental head Johnna Mirador said that around 80 grams of suspected shabu, which were contained in 54 packs and sachets of various sizes, were confiscated in the surprise raid dubbed "Operation Greyhound." The seized suspected shabu was estimated to have a value of more than P800,000.
PDEA and police operatives also recovered around P106,000 in cash from the inmates inside the NODRC, along with several cellphones, ten digital weighing scales, five notebooks containing drug transactions, and numerous drug paraphernalia.
A plastic bottle with several plastic sachets possibly containing shabu was also recovered in the makeshift quarters of a jail guard, whose identity PDEA is withholding pending further investigation. The said bottle has been submitted to the Negros Oriental Provincial Crime Laboratory for further testing.
Mirador said the jail guard will be undergoing a drug test along with other NODRC employees. The guard will be facing administrative charges if he tests positive.
The raid stemmed from reports of possible illegal drug activities inside the NODRC, where the said jail guard was allegedly protecting four inmates involved in the drug trade inside the facility. Mirador said that the four inmates have already been convicted and are awaiting transfer to the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.
The raid also revealed that there has already been an established drug trade inside the NODRC, she added.
The Operation Greyhound was a joint operation of the PDEANegros Oriental and its sister office in Siquijor, the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office through its Provincial Intelligence Bureau and Drug Enforcement Unit, the Philippine Coast Guard in Dumaguete City, and the Office of the Governor, which directly supervises the NODRC.
DISAPPOINTED
NODRC warden Louie Rastica said that he has ordered a full-blown investigation into the illegal activities in the jail, adding that he was disappointed over reports of an established illegal drug trade inside the facility.
Aside from the jail guards and inmates indicated in the PDEA report, Rastica said he will also look into the facility's trustees, who may have acted as drug couriers because they are more mobile compared to other inmates.
Inmates proven to be involved in the drug trade will be charged additional cases on top of the charges they are already facing, and will be detained inside an isolated facility at the NODRC, he said.
He added that he will also be investigating the sari-sari stores inside the facility, as they may have also been used as outlets for the drug trade. To control the spread of illegal drugs inside the jail, Rastica said he is planning to allow only one store to operate and close down the others.
The raid also pointed out several problems inside the NODRC, such as overcrowding and the lack of jail guards. He noted that at present, there are about 468 inmates in the jail which was designed to house only 300.
"Naa na may mga inmate nga wala pa diay na transfer sa Bilibid bisag naa na silay final conviction," said Rastica, who was appointed as the new NODRC warden on Monday, replacing relieved warden Franklin Culanag.
Rastica also noted that NORPPO also conducted similar raids in 2017 following verified reports of the illegal drug trade inside the provincial jail; no drugs were recovered during the said operations.