Proximity proved it easier to sneak shabu from Cebu through the roll-on roll-off vessels docking in at least seven formal ports in Bohol, and surreptitiously through fishing vessels reaching the shorelines.

Intelligence Officer Ma. Chona Egam of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported during the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting on Thursday last week that a big part of the supply of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) being sold in Bohol came from Cebu, while the rest came from Ozamis City and Metro Manila—particularly the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

“The supply from Cebu are sneaked into the province through RORO to the ports of Tagbilaran, Tubigon, Ubay, Jagna, Talibon, Loon, Getafe and some are brought to the shorelines by fishing vessels. Meanwhile, drug supply from Manila is sent through parcel, according to Egam.

In October last year, a suspected drug personality identified as Wilfredo Latsoner who had been arrested in a buy-bust operation in Candijay admitted that he used to sneak two kilos of shabu to Bohol at a time before his boss was killed in Cavite during an encounter with the CIDG team of Camp Crame.

Since then his supply had reduced to only half a kilo per shipment a month.

Latsonera is a 38-year-old native of Cebu and had been staying temporarily in Barangay Boyo-an until his arrest.

Police Senior Inspector Jojit Mananquil, who heads the Provincial Intelligence Branch, said Latsonera had been tagged as a notorious criminal and had once served a sentence at the Muntinlupa Bilibid Prison for murder.

The BPPO had already conducted 21 operations from January 1-27 which resulted to the arrest of 19 persons where the police teams confiscated 77.52 grams of shabu worth P914,736. At least 25 cases had already been filed in January.

In 2014, the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) confiscated a total of 1,640.602  grams of shabu worthP19.4 million from 314 operations where 389 persons were arrested. At least 622 cases had been filed during the year.

In 2015, the BPPO confiscated 961.49 grams of shabu worth P11.35 million from 421 operations that resulted in the arrest of 560 persons and led to the filing of 839 cases.

In October last year, the BPPO recorded 44 operations resulting in the arrest of 59 operations and confiscation of 73.34 grams of shabu worth P 865,412, and filing of 85 cases.

In November, the police had conducted 74 operations resulting in the arrest of 82 persons, confiscation of277.96 grams of shabu worth P 3,279,928, and filing of 127 cases.

In December, 44 operations had been conducted which resulted in the arrest of 48 persons, confiscation of 73.68 grams of shabu worth P869,424, and filing of 82 cases.

During an earlier PPOC meeting held in June last year, PDEA-Bohol Provincial Officer Jigger Juniller also repoted that the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa is among the sources of drugs reaching Bohol, although the bulk of the supply come from Cebu and Ozamis City.

Juniller said Metro Manila conduits sent the drugs from NBP to Bohol through parcel.

He also said then that PDEA-Bohol monitored a few existing Marijuana cultivation in the province, some only in “pots and other movable containers that are mostly for personal consumption”.

These had been spotted in the municipalities of Maribojoc, Loon, Pilar, San Miguel and Garcia-Hernandez and other mountainous barangays in the province, according to Juniller.

Egam said the PDEA monitored that shabu has taken marijuana over time as the number one drug of choice in Bohol.

“It is the most saleable type of drug in the street and is available in places near colleges and universities, and in fishing communities and tourist destinations,” according to Egam.

She also said “nubain is the second drug of choice and usually prevalent in the City of Tagbilaran”.

In the monitoring, PDEA also found out that shabu is sold at P2,000-P4,000 per gram and a big pack called “bulto” is at P10,000-P15,000.

Egam said they have no data yet how much it is sold per kilo, since there has been no reported transaction with such amount, based on rounds of surveillance conducted.

Marijuan is sold in Bohol at P300 per tea bag of dried leaves, while Nubain is sold at P300 per ampule, she added.

There has been no reported proliferation of ecstacy and cocaine in the province, she said.

Egam recommended that “PDEA, law enforcement agencies, local government units and stakeholders should continue to work further to strengthen their programs, activities and projects, and not just concentrate on the supply reduction campaign. We should also expand the demand reduction.

She also called on all the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC) to continuously “be active and participate in the fight against illegal drugs”.

In the demand reduction campaign, PDEA had conducted 40 drug awareness lectures with barangay officials, parents, teachers, high school and college students, household heads, probationers, parolees, pardoners, barangay assembly, Liga ng mga Barangay and municipal project coordinators last year.