P6.8 million worth of shabu seized in Negros Oriental port

DUMAGUETE CITY —A kilo of suspected shabu worth P6.8 million was seized during an anti-drug operation at the Sibulan Port Terminal in Negros Oriental Monday afternoon.

Arrested in the operation were Tim Bernard Las Piñas, Ellery Jude Alabanzas, Kathleen Caryl Tulabing, and Lesa Taganile.

The four suspects were arrested after their car was intercepted by personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO), and the Sibulan Police at the said port.

The suspects were bound for Dumaguete from Cebu.

According to PDEA Negros Oriental Investigation Agent 1 Jan Keith Capili, the seized suspected shabu was possibly delivered in time for some big events in Dumaguete City, including the Silliman University (SU) Founders Day celebration.

As the operation went on, students in SU officially launched their celebrations Monday through a torch parade that kicked off the yearly Hibalag Booth Festival, an activity that lights up Dumaguete City towards the end of August.

Asked for comment, the suspects denied knowing where the suspected shabu came from.

Tulabing and Taganile, for their part, maintained that they only hitched a ride on the way to Dumaguete and denied knowledge of the suspected shabu.

The four suspects are now under police custody and will be facing charges for  violating Republic Act 9165, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. —LDF, GMA News