At least P1 million in cash and several packs of suspected shabu were seized during a simultaneous raid conducted by 300 fully armed Special Weapons and Tactics policemen at the Cebu City Jail and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City early yesterday morning.
Also seized in the raid were several nubain ampules, gadgets, laptops, a pocket Wi-Fi, and mobile phones.
Inmates at the Cebu City Jail and its warden Supt. Jonson Calub were surprised by the raid ordered by the Philippine National Police Regional Office 7 in line with “Operation: Greyhound.”
A team from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology assisted SWAT personnel in the raid. No one was killed or hurt during the inspection where three K9 dogs from the PDEA and the Philippine Coast Guard were used in searching for contrabands.
Calub has been relieved and the PRO 7 said he will be subjected to an investigation to determine his liability in the entry of illegal drugs at the city jail.
He said that while he was surprised at the number of cash and drugs seized from the city jail, he said it was really hard for him to control the entry of illegal drugs and gadgets. He said some visitors might have hid the items in their private parts.
Inmates were stripped naked during searches to ensure that no one was hiding illegal items in their private parts.
The operations did not need any search warrant from the court since the BJMP and Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide gave permission to the police to search the provincial and city jail, said Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, PRO 7 director.
Operation: Greyhound in the two detention facilities was conducted following information provided by a former inmate to authorities about illegal drugs and gadgets inside the city jail.
“Based on the information we received, the jails have become a market for illegal drugs. Drug users come here as if they would visit prisoners but
in reality they buy and use drugs. They do it behind bars because they are afraid of the “Oplan: Tokhang” being conducted by the police outside the jail,” said Taliño.
The provincial consultant on jail matters, Marco Toral, last Monday submitted his resignation letter to Davide following reports about the illegal drugs trade inside the provincial jail and the controversies against him. (Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)