BAGUIO CITY (PNA) – Personnel of the Baguio City Jail male dormitory intercepted illegal drugs concealed in a food package sent to an inmate.
The jail officers discovered 10 plastic sachets of suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of PHP136,000, placed in the middle of a chunk of pork "adobo" and "bakareta" during an inspection of items sent to inmates on February 12, the dorm’s warden, Jail Supt. Mary Ann Ollaging-Tresmanio, said Wednesday.
Tresmanio said a man brought the food for an inmate identified as Kevin Jaramillo.
However, while the food was being inspected in front of him, the man left without a word, which made the jail guard suspicious.
She said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) central office has suspended the visitation of inmates.
“Buti na lang nagbabantay ng maayos ang gaters natin at sinusunod ang mga order ng national (office of the BJMP). Otherwise, hindi natin nakita yung mga shabu (It was good our gate personnel were manning the gates properly and following the guidelines set by the national office of the BJMP. Otherwise, we would not have intercepted the shabu),” Tresmanio said.
She noted that their strict inspection procedures have caught several people attempting to sneak in illegal items by concealing them in their bodies or food and non-food items.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) - Cordillera is doing a follow-up operation and has identified the person who attempted to smuggle the drugs, based on the jail logbook and closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera recordings.
Tresmanio said they implement a thorough check of all items, not just for the inmates but even for the jail guards.
“Patuloy po kaming magbabantay at magpapatupad ng istriktong pamamaraan sa pag check para maiwasan ang pagpasok ng mga bawal na kagamitan at bagay sa jail (We will continue to guard and implement strict inspection procedures to prevent the possible entry of prohibited items in the jail),” she said.
Tresmanio also assured that they are continuously implementing health protocols to prevent a repeat of the incident where several inmates contracted the coronavirus disease 2019.