K9 dog sniffs out illegal drugs in Northern Samar, brgy kagawad arrested

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
September 27, 2012

CAMP SEC. RUPERTO K. KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte  –  Police authorities intercepted a shipment of illegal drugs with the use of canine sniffing dog inside a provincial bus in a bus terminal in Northern Samar recently.

Police Regional Office 8 Regional Director PCSupt Elmer Ragadio Soria said that joint elements of Northern Samar Police Provincial Office and Catarman Municipal Police Station seized a black bag containing several sachets of suspected “shabu” from a barangay kagawad aboard a Silver Star Bus at New Catarman Bus Terminal in Catarman, Northern Samar in the afternoon of September 24.

“We received verified information about the said drug shipment, thus, an operation was immediately conducted. Since the alleged drugs were on-board a vehicle, the use of K-9 sniffing dog proved to be helpful’, Soria said.

Garret Lluz y Esponilla, 32, single and a barangay kagawad of Brgy. Poblacion 5 in Catubig, Northern Samar has just arrived from Manila on board a Silver Star bus with body number 201-001 when policemen halted him at around 4:25PM on Monday.

The operating team politely introduced themselves as police officers and informed the bus driver about the operation to be conducted on said vehicle. On the process, the “Labrador” K-9 dog of the team sniffed something from the Lluz’ luggage. The suspect voluntarily confessed to the police officers that he was in possession of illegal drugs carefully tucked on a white t-shirt inside his black backpack.

Without being coerced, he opened the bag waiving his rights not to be searched and the police team found therein 21 sachets of white crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine hydrochloride locally known as “shabu”.

The police also confiscated 2 units Samsung mobile phone with charger, a Nokia BL-4V battery, Silver Star Shuttle and Tours Inc. ticket number 700381 with attached Silver Star ticket with Travel Detail, a SONY memory card Adaptor MSAC-M2, Smart Buddy Browser, Community Tax Certificate No. CC1200926457715, Identification Card for Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity, Identification Card as Barangay Kagawad, Non-professional Driver’s License, white t-shirt with markings Alpha Phi Omega and one unit SONY PSP 4 GB (MP4, MP5, GAME).

Soria extols the employment of K9 sniffing dogs to police works especially in solving and preventing crimes and in saving lives and properties.

“The K9 sniffing dogs augment the PNP in its law enforcement functions, combating and preventing lawlessness and criminalities. They also play a vital role in responding to crisis situations and in maintaining law and order,” the Regional Director disclosed.

Canine dogs work closely with their handlers to enforce laws and apprehend criminals. A primary role for police dogs is pursuing and apprehending suspects that attempt to escape law enforcement officers. K-9 dogs also tend to be trained for one specialty skill such as identifying narcotics or smuggled goods, search and rescue operations, detecting accelerants at an arson scene, or locating human remains.

The discovery and confiscation of said illegal drugs and the arrest of the suspect were made at the height of intensified campaign of Police Regional Office 8 against the proliferation of illegal drugs in Eastern Visayas. Since the assumption of PCSupt Soria as Police Regional Director last August 6, PRO8 had already conducted 19 positive police operations resulting in the arrest of 22 suspected drug pushers and the filing of appropriate drug charges against them in court.