THE Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is validating the link of a former seaman to the group of late Western Visayas drug lord Ramy Poja following the former's apprehension in Barangay 1, Bacolod City Wednesday that led to a recovery of P3 million worth of dangerous drugs.
Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), in a press conference at the BCPO headquarters yesterday, July 5, said newly identified high-value target drug personality Rayden Palomero, 34, of Talisay City, is an alleged supplier of illegal drugs to the group of Poja.
Ebreo said the money remittance slip for an alleged drug transaction that was recovered from the suspect has a name of a certain “Poja” on it.
Poja was killed in a police operation in Barangay Banago last May 24 after he resisted arrest from the operatives during a manhunt operation.
Ebreo said the neutralization of Poja led to the discovery of other drug personalities in the city including Palomero.
"Yung iba sa kanila nag kanya-kanya na nung ma neutralize si Poja" (some of the members went on their separate ways after Poja's neutralization)," Ebreo said.
He, however, said that they are also verifying reports if somebody in Poja's family took over his illegal drug trade.
"So far, parang wala namang nag monopolize sa Banago, but we'll check (so far, there has been no reports of drug monopoly in Banago village, but we will check)," Ebreo said.
Ebreo said Palomero is also an alleged supplier of illegal drugs in Bacolod and neighboring cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental.
He (Palomero) started to engage in the illegal drug trade after he experienced problems in his work and family, Ebreo said.
Ebreo said Palomero would usually stay in a hotel for the repacking of the items and gets the money through bank transactions or remittance.
On July 4, Palomero and his companion Rica Mitch Villalon, 21, of Barangay Banago was arrested around 10 p.m. after operatives of City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) raided their rented house in Barangay 1. They have been staying in the house for two days.
Ebreo, however, refused to confirm the relationship between the two suspects and also Villalon's participation on the transaction, as not to compromise the filing of the case.
Authorities seized from them were 16 sachets of illegal drugs weighing 260 grams, the P5,000 marked money, and three bank transaction deposit slips.
Both suspects are detained at Police Station 2. The recovered illegal drugs were brought to the Regional Crime Laboratory for examination.
Drug charges will be filed against them once the result of the laboratory examination comes out.
As this developed, Ebreo said they will also try to check with the Talisay City Police Station if Palomero is part of their drug listing.
"He might have access with some other drug personalities outside Bacolod," Ebreo added.
Meanwhile, Ebreo said that although the government intensifies their campaign against illegal drugs, lack of rehabilitation facility to accommodate drug surrenderers can also be a factor for a person to continue engaging in the illegal activity.
Ebreo said drug surrenderers often return to their illegal activity because of influences from the community and the people whom they would usually be with.
Also, Ebreo said that unemployment or poverty pushes others to still get involved in the illegal activity.
"We must accept na maraming walang trabaho, maraming mahihirap, maraming tamad na gustong kumita ng pera na hindi naghihirap, kaya mas pinipili nila ang pumasok sa illegal na droga dahil kahit delikado, mabilis kumita, (we must accept that there are people who have no jobs, there are also poor and lazy who wants to have some income but does not want to work hard, that's why they end up engaging in illegal drugs even if it's dangerous), Ebreo said.
In Bacolod City, 65 drug surrenderers have already finished their community-based rehabilitation but some of them yielded positive in a drug test because of their influences in the community.
Ebreo said another batch is undergoing the same rehabilitation program.