ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN HEIGHTENED

BARANGAYS 2, 22, 8 and Banago are still tagged as "seriously drug affected" villages of Bacolod City and the police are hot on the heels of the drug suspects.

Senior Supt.  Mario Avenido, police city director, vowed to rid the drug menace in these barangays.

Anti-drug agents are working hard to curb the problem of the sale and use of drugs in these identified areas.

As proof, Avenido cited the Bacolod City Police Office's four awards out of the five major recognitions given by the Police Regional Office 6 through Chief Supt.  George Alino.

Avenido said operatives of the City Anti-Illegal Special Operations Task Group are conducting continuous operations to arrest drug violators.

As of the month of June, CAID confiscated nine big sachets suspected shabu that weighed 10.22 grams with market value of P25,550.  Nineteen drug offenders were collared.

For marijuana, CAID uprooted nine marijuana plants worth P21,400.

Avenido commended the local police in their "good performance" in arresting drug suspects.

We will arrest and charge them accordingly, Avenido said.

When he took over as chair of the local police, Avenido said the number of seriously drug-affected barangays reached 24 but now, four has been left.

Alino earlier vowed to solve the drug problem in the region within three to four months.

Police records disclosed that two drug pushers were apprehended by operatives of Police Station 10 led by SPO2 Cornelio Gamboa Jr.  in Brgy.  Handumanan, Bacolod last week.

The suspects were Romualdo Salazar, alias "Ramram", 22, and John Mark Milabo, 21, both of Purok Lubi, Phase III, Brgy.  Handumanan.

Recovered from them were 10 suspected marijuana cigarettes and two rolling papers.  Salazar and Milabo are now detained at Police Station 10.

Joint operatives of Police Station 2 and 603rd and 6th Regional Mobile Groups, on the other hand, arrested Charlou and Jose; both surnamed Ortega also in a stakeout operation in Brgy.  2, Bacolod.

Both are residents of Locsin St., San Carlos City.

Recovered from their possession were two elongated sachets of suspected shabu.  The suspects were detained at Police Station 2.