P41.3M shabu seized in Bacolod

The recovery of P41.3 million worth of suspected shabu in Bacolod City is considered to be the biggest drug haul in a single police operation in the city.

This was stressed by Colonel JoerestyCoronica, officer-in-charge of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), on Wednesday, August 14, after the operatives of Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO6) along with the BCPO-City Drug Enforcement Unit, City Intelligence Unit, and Police Station 1 seized an estimated of P41.3 million worth of suspected shabu in a drug bust operation at Purok Malipayon, Barangay 35, Bacolod City at about 8:12 p.m. Tuesday, August 13.

The operation also led to the arrest of John Philip Dellomo, 28, a resident of the said village.

“ As per my recollection, this is the biggest drug recovery in Bacolod City,” Coronica said. 

Captain Glen Soliman, head of RPDEU, said the suspect was arrested after he sold a sachet of shabu to a poseur buyer.

Police recovered from Dellomo’s possession one knot-tied transparent plastic and six transparent plastics containing suspected shabu weighing 6,080 grams, the P60,000 marked money, P16, 300 proceeds money, weighing scale, eco-bag, and cellular phone. 

Soliman said Dellomo, identified as a high-value individual in Bacolod City, was under surveillance almost a month before his arrest. 

He said the recovered items reached almost six kilograms and intended to be distributed in various areas in the city, adding that Dellomo might have been operating in Bacolod City for a long time already since he was holding this kind of value of illegal drugs. 

Soliman noted that before the operation, Dellomo already sold at least 80 grams of suspected shabu. 

He said they are also validating the drug supplier of the suspect. 

The suspect is detained at the custodial facility of Police Station 1. He will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Dellomo's father, Lauro,52, and his brother, Ronel, 36, were also arrested for obstruction of justice.

Soliman said Dellomo’s father and brother tried to grab the firearm of one of the operatives in the area. 

“Fortunately, the operative got away and the suspects were arrested,” he said. 

He added that Dellomo’s father and brother were also brought to Police Station 1 for the filing of charges against them.

Moreover, Coronica also lauded the accomplishment of the operatives to address the illegal drug problem in Bacolod. 

Coronica said the suspect was a newly identified drug personality in Bacolod City and a former inmate for the crime of robbery. 

“Maybe, he established contact in jail and when he was released he was used as a warehouseman of the illegal drugs in Bacolod,” he said.

Coronica also believes that the recovered illegal drugs might be intended for the coming of the MassKara Festival in October as well as in other areas in Negros Occidental. 

“It’s now our priority to address the illegal drugs so we can also prevent the crime incidents here because most of the suspects were drug users,” he said.

Coronica disclosed that they are also conducting a thorough investigation to determine the total number of drug groups operating in the city./ MAP