Cebu City jail search yields drugs, banned items worth P1M

CONTRABAND At least P1 million worth of  “shabu,” a gun and other contraband are seized by jail guards and antidrug
agents at the Cebu City Jail on Thursday. —NESTLE SEMILLA

CEBU CITY — At least P1.08 million worth of illegal drugs, a gun, and other contraband were seized in a surprise operation at the Cebu City Jail (CCJ) on Thursday.

CCJ warden Jail Supt. Jose Abueva said they coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for the joint inspection after they received various reports that illegal items had been smuggled inside the facility.

He said an investigation was underway to find out how the packets of “shabu” (crystal meth) totaling 32 grams, a .45-caliber pistol, its magazine, and live ammunition, cell phones, bladed weapons, and cigarettes ended up at the CCJ.

Abueva said the facility’s disciplinary board was verifying the names of the inmates who could be behind the illegal drug transactions in the jail.

PDEA Central Visayas Director Levi Ortiz said most of the illegal items seized during the surprise raid belonged to two inmates whose names he refused to divulge while an investigation was being conducted.

“The PDEA will continue to coordinate with the BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) to look into the methods employed in sneaking these contraband into the jail,” Ortiz said.

CCJ, which is located in the city’s mountain village of Kalunasan, currently houses about 6,000 inmates.

Abueva believed the prohibited items could have been thrown into the facility from outside or were hidden inside the food delivered to the prisoners.Abueva said they had installed nets over the fences while items being handed over by the families of the inmates were also thoroughly inspected by jail personnel.

—NESTLE SEMILLA