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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Attempt to smuggle 40 ampules into jail thwarted
Thinking that jail searchers only frisk inmates for weapons, an inmate tried to smuggle in 40 ampules of Nubain and six lighters inside the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) yesterday noon.
Ariel Ortiz, 28, placed thick garters around his thighs and biceps and inserted the ampules and lighters.
But civilian volunteers of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB), who were assigned to search the inmates before entering the jail, found the contraband and immediately reported this to jail officers.
Supt. Efren Nemeño, BBRC warden, told Sun.Star Cebu that Ortiz came from a hearing at the Palace of Justice.
He is investigating how Ortiz was able to insert the garters between his clothes without the jail escorts seeing him. Nemeño admitted there were several possibilities but wants to wait until all those concerned have given their statements.
‘Not reputable’
The incident prompted Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to ask the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to go after a pharmaceutical company that distributes Nubain. Nalbuphine hydrochloride is an injectible analgesic often used for post-operative pain.
The mayor described the company as “not reputable.”
But City councilor Augustus Pe Jr., chairman of the council committee on dangerous drugs, said three companies are licensed to legally manufacture and distribute Nubain.
Besides, the confiscated painkillers could have been bought elsewhere and just brought to Cebu City by a private entity, Pe added.
Escorts
There are 10 jail guards serving as escorts for about 80 inmates who have morning court hearings at the Palace of Justice.
After each hearing ends, an inmate is escorted back to the bus and is left in the care of just a few guards until all inmates are back in the bus.
Warden Nemeño believes inmates have resorted to this technique after he banned visitors believed to be the ones bringing in shabu to the jail.
Nemeño said it was hard searching all female visitors, who have managed to insert shabu and even the smaller cellular phones into their genitals.
He said they have received information from a text hotline he posted outside the jail that some female visitors bring in contraband that way.
Nemeño has posted the cellular phone number 09063103290 outside the jail for visitors who do not tolerate illegal activities inside the jail.
“Because they trust me enough with this information, we will try hard to work on the information they give us,” he said.
Rights
Nemeño said they could not easily confirm the information because basic human rights had to be respected in searching female visitors.
To prevent the entry of contraband, those suspected of bringing in these items have been banned from visiting inmates at the jail.
Ortiz, a resident of Escario St., Cebu City, is facing a homicide case.
He will be charged with violating a Cebu City ordinance on possession of Nubain without a prescription, while his visiting rights will be cancelled. He will also be isolated from other inmates.
City Ordinance 1427 regulates the sale of Nubain (analbuphane or nalbuphine hydrochloride), Tramal (tramadol hydrochloride) and Stadol (butorphanol tartrate), all painkillers.
It prohibits sales without a special prescription from physicians accredited by the Dangerous Drugs Board, as well as selling to minors.
Unlawful
Mere possession of the drug without a doctor’s prescription is unlawful in Cebu City.
All drugstores, companies and distributors are also required to submit a report on the quantity of the drugs disposed in the prior month.
Also, drugstores and hospitals’ purchases should be cleared by the Narcotics Command (now the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) and Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention.
But Pe said the measure is the only one of its kind in the country, which means the drugs could be had easily in places outside Cebu City.
PDEA 7 Director Amado Marquez, in a telephone interview, said the mayor’s request is valid and deserves attention.
He will study the matter and, if he discovers enough evidence showing the company indeed violated the guidelines in distributing Nubain, he will recommended for the cancellation of its permit. (MEA/RHM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 23, 2006 issue)
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