Drugs, cash, gadgets seized in Talisay jail

CEBU, Philippines — A surprise inspection yielded several contraband items, including illegal drugs, inside the Talisay City Jail yesterday dawn.

The joint greyhound operation conducted by the Police Regional Office-7 and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-7 netted at least P260,000 cash, 46 pieces of party pills, one pack of marijuana, 48 ampules of Nubain, solvents, drug paraphernalia, bladed weapons, cellphones, signal booster, and appliances.  The inspection started at 4 a.m. and ended at 8 a.m.

Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Band performed at the quadrangle to entertain the inmates while their cells are being searched. After the four-hour operation several illegal items were found to have slipped past the jail officials.

Talisay City Jail Warden Crisyriel Awe could not explain how the contraband items gotten into the jail facility.

 Police Regional Office-7 director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas said that greyhound operations will continue because of persistent information that illegal drug transactions are taking place inside the jail facilities using mobile phones.

He said that it was his instruction to the members of the team conducting the greyhound operation to look for communication gadgets because these are very vital to drug operations inside the jail facilities.

During yesterday’s operation the police found a signal booster used by the inmates to get a better cellphone signal.

“Ang antenna pwede himuong booster, bisan naa jammer ang low-tech pwede man mahimo booster,” Sinas said.

Awe described the operation yesterday as successful.

“Very successful atong gipahigayon karon nga greyhound, so daghan ang nakuha, so limpyo limpyo na jud ang jail,” Awe said, adding that it was him who requested for it. — FPL (FREEMAN)