More than six kilograms of suspected shabu worth PHP41.344 million were seized during a buy-bust operation in Purok Malipayon, Barangay 35 here Tuesday night.
This is the most significant recovery of illegal drugs in this highly urbanized city so far this year.
The operation conducted by Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit-Western Visayas (RPDEU-6) past 8 p.m. led to the arrest of John Philip Dellomo, 28, a high-value individual, who was previously jailed for a robbery hold-up case.
His father, Lauro Dellomo, 52, and brother, Ronel Dellomo, 36, were arrested for obstruction of justice after they attempted to intervene and seize the firearm of an operative.
Capt. Glenn Soliman, officer-in-charge of RPDEU-6, said Dellomo, who is considered a “bodegero” or custodian of the drug supply, was placed under police surveillance for more than a month before he was finally arrested.
He said that although their team had been looking forward to recovering a large volume of illegal drugs from the suspect, who sold P60,000 worth of shabu to an undercover policeman, they were not expecting that much of a haul.
“We were surprised to know that he possesses such a big volume of illegal drugs since he is not on the list of major drug personalities in Bacolod,” Soliman said in a radio interview.
Operatives found about 6,080 grams or 6.08 kilograms of shabu inside six transparent plastic bags and also recovered a digital weighing scale, cash amounting to P16,300, among the non-drug items. Each gram is pegged at P6,800.
Soliman said they will determine if Dellomo’s operation is linked to the suspects arrested in two separate buy-busts in the city last weekend.
On Aug. 11, an estimated 255 grams of shabu valued at P1.734 million were recovered from two suspects during a buy-bust in Barangay Singcang-Airport by agents of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group Special Operations Unit-Western Visayas.
In the neighboring Barangay Tangub, about 300 grams of shabu worth P2.04 million were seized by the City Drug Enforcement Unit from three suspects on Aug. 10.
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