OLONGAPO CITY — Literally right under the jail guards’ noses.
Local policemen and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) found this worrisome situation when, during a surprise inspection the other day, they found illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia inside several cells at the Olongapo City District Jail in Camp Cabal in Barangay Barretto.
Senior Inspector Rogelio de Vera, Group 2 leader of PDEA-Region 3 (Central Luzon), said the inspection yielded 25 grams of shabu, a kilo of marijuana seeds and leaves and drug paraphernalia such as tooters, soda bottlecaps and improvised burners.
A complaint by an inmate’s wife with the PDEA regional office prompted the search. She lamented that locking up her husband for an illegal drugs case did not do him any good because drug use was rampant in the district jail.
De Vera said an investigation of the jail personnel "is necessarily in order," adding that the results of the raid showed the laxity of the jail officials and guards.
While it is hard to pinpoint who among the detainees actually owned the items confiscated, he said a plastic bag containing shabu was found in the bed of one Alex Batag, a Bahala na Gang member.
Senior Superintendent Orlando Madela Jr., city police chief, was not present during the raid. He could not be reached for comment.