A suspected drug pusher was arrested yesterday morning by a team of Task Force 24 during a buy-bust operation at Luke Wright Street, in Dumaguete City.

The suspect, Franklin Siquijor, 32, married, of Luke Wright Street, was recently released from jail after serving a sentence for almost three years for yet another illegal drug charge. Task Force 24, composed of operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation, the local Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the city police, confiscated from Siquijor a transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu, and P200 in marked money used in the buy-bust operation.

Miguel Dungog of the local NBI said Siquijor was released about three weeks ago after the court acquitted him of drug charges.

In 2004, he was arrested for alleged illegal drug peddling and was jailed almost three years at the Dumaguete City Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

Siquijor has claimed that he was just a victim of a frame-up during his arrest yesterday.

Meanwhile, drug operatives have warned of more arrests in the coming days.

PO2 Allen June Hermodo of the local PDEA office said there are still many suspected drug personalities in their list as Task Force 24 has intensified its anti-illegal drugs operations amid the start of the classes this year.

Hermodo said there has been a notable increase in the supply of shabu in recent weeks as students started trooping back to school.

Late last week, two other suspected drug pushers, Adam Sun and Val Aguilar, were also arrested by the task force in Barangay Looc in this city.

Meanwhile, the PDEA in Oriental Nergros has apprehended 18 personalities directly caught selling shabu in Dumaguete since January this year, records showed.

They confiscated 30 plastic sachets allegedly containing illegal substance called shabu. Germudo said most of these apprehended suspects were students and out of school youths, aged 20 years old above.

He said Barangays Looc, Canday-ong and some of the housing projects in Dumaguete continue to be in the watchlist barangays monitored to have drug suspects.

Earlier, Dumaguete PNP Chief P/Supt. Dionardo Carlos had asked the school heads and principal to monitor their students especially those with suspicious actions.

Carlos said he is willing to conduct lectures and briefing to students in schools and dormitories on crime prevention.*JG/MA

back to top