AN ESTIMATED P88,400 worth of suspected shabu and P361,000 worth of illegal magic mushrooms were seized in a buy-bust operation by operatives of Police Station 5 and City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) at One Community Subdivision, Barangay Cabug, Bacolod City Monday night, July 17.
The operation also led to the arrest of Diane Tolmo, 35, her live-in partner, Fierre Santillana, and her brother, Franz Jovi Tolmo, 26, all residents of the said village.
Major Joery Puerto, commander of Police Station 5, said Tuesday, July 18, that the suspects were arrested after one of them sold a sachet of suspected shabu to a poseur buyer.
Police recovered from the suspects’ possession 10 plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing 13 grams, the P500 marked money, a coin purse, and P500 cash.
The operatives also seized 17 plastics containing magic mushrooms weighing 3.610 kilograms.
Puerto said the suspects were identified as street-level individuals in Bacolod. They were under surveillance for almost a month before their arrest.
Aside from selling illegal drugs, he said the suspects also engaged in the online selling of magic mushrooms, which was not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Puerto added that the magic mushroom is not safe for human consumption because it has not been approved by the FDA.
He said they were informed that some individuals were using magic mushrooms as replacements for marijuana. It’s also used as an ingredient in some food dishes.
The suspects are detained at the custodial facility of Police Station 5.
They will be charged for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and RA 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009.*