BY GILBERT BAYORAN
Negros Occidental is next to Iloilo in having the most drug affected barangays in Western Visayas, where two drug groups and 52 identified drug pushers are operating, records of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency show. PDEA records also showed that 40 barangays in Negros Occidental and five others in Bacolod City, are among the 175 drug-affected areas in Western Visayas.
Of the drug affected barangays, 105 are located in Iloilo, Capiz - 10, Guimaras - 9, Aklan - 4 and Antique - 2.
Of the 391 targeted drug personalities in Western Visayas, 377 are still at-large and subjects of PDEA operations as of this time, anti-narcotics regional chief Supt. Rolen Balquin said.
During the weekend, PDEA operatives seized an estimated 41 grams of suspected shabu valued at P240,000 from an arrested Muslim trader Jamael Mama Bato in Bacolod City.
Because of the scarcity of its supply, Balquin said shabu is now being mixed with other substances by drug syndicates. At the same time, he also noted the rising number of persons arrested who were using marijuana in the region.
The price of shabu now ranges from P5,000 to P6,000 per gram, while dried marijuana leaves are being sold at P50 to P100 per gram, PDEA records indicated.
PDEA reports also showed that trafficking of shabu in the region is believed to be controlled by the five local drug syndicates, and illegal drugs reportedly hidden inside taxable cargoes, or through cargo forwarding companies, if being transferred to other areas of Western Visayas.
Balquin said big-time drug pushers distribute illegal drugs mostly at first class hotels and motels during unholy hours, through a kangaroo type of operation.
He also said they have received reports that Ecstasy pills, which have hallucinating and more lasting effect on users, are now being used by members of prominent families in hotels and bars, especially in Bacolod City.
From January to March this year, PDEA said it has accounted for 98 drug pushers and users all over the region, and recovered P351,396 worth of prohibited drugs in Western Visayas.
Of the drug affected barangays, 105 are located in Iloilo, Capiz - 10, Guimaras - 9, Aklan - 4 and Antique - 2.
Of the 391 targeted drug personalities in Western Visayas, 377 are still at-large and subjects of PDEA operations as of this time, anti-narcotics regional chief Supt. Rolen Balquin said.
During the weekend, PDEA operatives seized an estimated 41 grams of suspected shabu valued at P240,000 from an arrested Muslim trader Jamael Mama Bato in Bacolod City.
Because of the scarcity of its supply, Balquin said shabu is now being mixed with other substances by drug syndicates. At the same time, he also noted the rising number of persons arrested who were using marijuana in the region.
The price of shabu now ranges from P5,000 to P6,000 per gram, while dried marijuana leaves are being sold at P50 to P100 per gram, PDEA records indicated.
PDEA reports also showed that trafficking of shabu in the region is believed to be controlled by the five local drug syndicates, and illegal drugs reportedly hidden inside taxable cargoes, or through cargo forwarding companies, if being transferred to other areas of Western Visayas.
Balquin said big-time drug pushers distribute illegal drugs mostly at first class hotels and motels during unholy hours, through a kangaroo type of operation.
He also said they have received reports that Ecstasy pills, which have hallucinating and more lasting effect on users, are now being used by members of prominent families in hotels and bars, especially in Bacolod City.
From January to March this year, PDEA said it has accounted for 98 drug pushers and users all over the region, and recovered P351,396 worth of prohibited drugs in Western Visayas.
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