Vizcaya jail raid uncovers drug ring, sex dens in cells

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— In what officials here described as unprecedented in the province’s history, a raid by policemen at the provincial jail on Saturday yielded guns, knives, illegal drugs and even sex toys from the guards’ quarters and cells.

Lab tests conducted following the raid also found positive for drug use acting warden Reynaldo Agaton, two jail guards and 18 inmates, said Senior Supt. Valfrie Tabian, provincial police director.

The raiding team seized two unlicensed shotguns and two grenades from the locker assigned to jail guards Noel Galutera, Godofredo Cabanting and Marlon Gayaso.

They also found 20 knives, six syringes, motorcycle registration plates, plastic sachets with suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and other paraphernalia from three cells and the prison canteen.

Officials were puzzled at how the banned items found their way inside the cells. Among these were 12 pairs of scissors, an ax, a paper cutter, firecrackers, erectile dysfunction tablets, a DVD player, a collection of pornographic video discs and a box of sex toys.

Citing intelligence reports, Tabian said jail officials, personnel and a number of inmates have been running an illegal drug syndicate inside the prison at the provincial capitol grounds here, and have been using the cells as “sex dens.”

“Some privileged inmates have been going in and out of the jail compound even without escorts, buying illegal drugs from outside and making the jail a virtual illegal drug trading center,” Tabian said.

A cubicle, he said, has been converted into a sex perverts’ haven, complete with air-conditioning, an audio and video system with pornographic materials and mirrors on side walls and ceilings.

“We no longer dared to enter the isolation cell because it’s too sickening, looking like a [breeding ground] of [sexually transmitted] diseases,” he said.

The Inquirer tried but failed to reach Agaton and other jail officers for comment. The acting warden and other personnel have gone on leave while others did not report for work on Tuesday.

Tabian said he had asked Chief Supt. Rodrigo de Gracia, Cagayan Valley police director, to detail policemen as jail guards in the meantime prior to a massive revamp of personnel at the jail, which houses 150 inmates. Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon