FOLLOWING the arrest of 12 drug personalities in Cadiz City in northern Negros Occidental, police operatives collared three more persons in a shabu den in Victorias City on Tuesday.

Caught red-handed while engaging in a shabu session inside a suspected drug den in Fermont Village in Barangay 7 were John Oliver Sim, 32, Ronilo Bones, 33, and Joseph Peroja, 29, all city residents, said Police Chief Inspector Rico Santotome Jr, spokesman of the Negros Occidental PNP and the head of the Special Operations Task Force-AIDSOTG.

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Senior Police Officer 1 Dandy Ilalto of the SOTF and Intelligence Branch of Noppo apprehended the suspects sniffing shabu.

The drug den was maintained by brothers John Oliver and Vincent Oliver, all surnamed Sim, Santotome said.

Recovered inside the den were two lighters, one ballpen, a pair of scissors, an empty plastic sachet with traces of shabu residue, and pieces of aluminum foil, Santotome said.

The suspects were brought to the PNP Crime Laboratory Wednesday immediately after their arrest for drug testing.

Santotome said first-time offenders who test positive for drug use will undergo at least six months of rehabilitation in a government rehabilitation center.

If found positive for drug use for the second time, a suspect will suffer a penalty of 6-12 years imprisonment and a fine of P50, 000 to P200, 000, Santotome added.

Meanwhile, police operatives arrested Fernando Dela Cruz, 47, in Barangay Paraiso in Sagay City last Nov. 2, allegedly for hacking Mario Carambacan, 30.

Investigation disclosed that Carambacan challenged Dela Cruz, who was inside his house, to a fistfight that resulted to an altercation between the two protagonists, Santotome said.

Dela Cruz went out and hacked Carambacan with a knife, wounding his arm, Santotome said, adding that the victim was brought to St. Ann Medical Hospital for treatment.

Dela Cruz is now detained at Cadiz City Police Station.