Shabu hidden inside lakatan

AUTHORITIES of the Davao City Jail in Maa busted another attempt to sneak in illegal drugs after personnel intercepted five sachets of suspected shabu that was concealed inside bananas outside the city jail.

In a press release from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Davao Region (BJMP-Davao), the incident happened on Wednesday, January 12, wherein a jail guard saw a bunch of lakatan bananas abandoned on top of a pile of used tires positioned directly alongside the Davao Jail searching area.

The confiscated illegal drugs have an approximate street value of P45,000, weighing more or less three grams.

Security officials from the Talomo Police Station, Barangay Maa officials, and some members of the media were immediately informed about the incident for proper verification, tagging, and turnover of custody of the said suspected contraband.

Jail authorities are currently investigating who left the bananas and who was supposed to receive them.

"The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology is continuously strengthening security measures in the area following the innovative ways of the perpetrators are attempting to smuggle illegal drugs and other contrabands inside our jail facilities," BJMP said in a press release.

The city jail had previously blocked attempts to sneak in illegal drugs. On November 11, 2021, jail personnel busted shabu or crystal meth worth P368,000 hidden inside a squash or kalabasa.

A month before, BJMP-Davao also intercepted sachets of alleged shabu inserted in a “chicken-pork adobo” meal being sneaked inside the city jail annex. Authorities also recovered from a drone three pieces of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing an estimated 25 grams of shabu with a street value of P400,000.