Bacolod City – The City Legal Enforcement team yesterday dismantled several makeshift structures at the fish section of the Bacolod Vendors Plaza after receiving reports that the area is being used as a drug den.
Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, cluster head on markets, said they were able to recover sachets of suspected shabu from the rubble of the dismantled structures during their clearing operation, which they turned over to the police.
He said the concrete tables at the fish section were covered and the illegal drug users probably hide underneath them while having their pot sessions.
The City Legal Enforcement team, the clearing operation also worked in coordination with the operatives of Police Station 1 and representatives of Barangay 15.
On Monday, a raid conducted by members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency at the Vendors’ Plaza resulted in arrest of eight individuals who were allegedly having a pot session.
Arrested were Danny Rodriquez, Brian Alison, Reynard Villamor, Hermel Taghoy, Roy Ageña, Jayhan Mission, Joshua Cagalcal and Jovie Bermudes, who is allegedly the drug den maintainer according to one of the PDEA agents.
At least 10 grams of suspected shabu valued at P45,000 were recovered during their arrest, PDEA records showed.
To ensure that similar incidents will not happen again at the Vendors’ Plaza, Pineda said they have assigned personnel from the public Order and Safety Office, who will man the area and prevent people from going inside its premises.
(Adrian Nemes III via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of The TVDS)