About P200,000 worth of suspected shabu believed to be intended for sale during the MassKara celebration was recovered in a buy-bust operation by the Bacolod City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group in Brgy. Banago at about 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

The operation also led to the arrest of Nemia Aguilar Jalando-on, 31, of Purok Sibucao, Brgy. Banago after she allegedly handed an elongated sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer in exchange for P600, CAIDSTOG head, Supt. Santiago Rapiz, said.

The alleged drug courier, whom Rapiz identified as Rolinda Tarog, 45, of Purok Punta Kapre, Brgy. 8, was also arrested after she was found covering herself with a blanket under the house of Jalando-on.

Rapiz said they have been conducting a surveillance operation for weeks now on Jalando-on, who is tagged as one of the two big-time illegal drug suppliers in Banago, on information that she is into illegal drugs.

He said Jalando-on’s estranged husband, Leoner Jalando-on was also apprehended in 2010 for illegal drug sale, and is now detained at the Bacolod District Jail Annex in Brgy. Handumanan.

A big heat-sealed sachet of suspected shabu was recovered from Tarog while four other big sachets and nine elongated sachets of the banned substance were seized from Jalando-on, police records show.

Two disposable lighters, an improvised straw used as scoop, a pair of scissors, several empty plastic sachets and P1,625 in cash, believed to be proceeds from illegal drug sale, were also confiscated from Jalando-on, police records added

Rapiz said they already have the name of the supplier of the illegal drugs they seized from Jalando-on, but he refused to give details pending the supplier’s arrest.

He reiterated that they are coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Police Aviation Security to help them curb the entrance of illegal drugs through sea and airports in Negros Occidental while the MassKara festival is ongoing.

Meanwhile, the first day of the 33rd MassKara festival was generally peaceful with no untoward incidents reported, City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, said yesterday.

Only one reveler was arrested at the Bacolod Reclamation area for possession of bladed weapon, De la Paz said.

“We are reminding the public not to bring deadly weapons because the policemen have intensified checkpoints and saturation drives to ensure that no guns will enter Bacolod City”, he said.
Some of the 1,088 policemen from other police units assigned as augmentation force for the MassKara fest, arrived last week.*APN

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