BACOLOD CITY – Police arrested a couple and seized 25 grams of suspected shabu valued at P170,000 in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Alicante, E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental on Monday, July 10.
Suspects were identified as John Herwin Castro, 30, and his live-in partner Princess Ditchella, 29, residents of Barangay Alicante.
Police Major Kenneth Gratones, E.B. Magalona police chief, said they conducted the operation after receiving reports about the couple’s alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade.
Gratones said they conducted a month-long surveillance on the suspects before they were arrested.
He said the suspects were newly identified street-level individuals but were upgraded by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) to high-value individuals due to the volume of drugs recovered.
The couple yielded an improvised tooter and the P500 marked money.