ORMOC CITY — A jail officer assigned to guard inmates was placed under police custody after a sachet containing suspected shabu allegedly fell from his pocket while he was eating with fellow personnel inside the Ormoc City Jail on Tuesday morning, Aug. 25.
The officer, identified only as alias “Sony,” is a married Jail Officer 1 and resident of Barangay Baras, Palo, Leyte. He has been with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for about two years.
City Jail Warden Chief Inspector Jimmy Topia said one of the jail officers noticed the sachet falling from Sony’s pocket at around 10:20 a.m. The incident was immediately reported to him, prompting the BJMP to seek police assistance.
Police later conducted a body search and reportedly recovered one tissue and six small pieces of folded aluminum foil from the officer.
An initial police report placed the weight of the suspected shabu at 2.34 grams, with an estimated street value of P15,912.
The seized items were turned over to the Regional Forensic Unit 8 for laboratory examination. The officer was subsequently placed under the custody of Police Station 1 for investigation.
Topia also said the officer had recently yielded a “dubious” result in a surprise drug test conducted among jail personnel. He stressed, however, that the confirmatory test result has yet to be released.
The case remains under investigation, and the suspected illegal drug will still have to undergo forensic examination to determine its actual composition.
Topia said he would not tolerate any illegal activity inside the jail and maintained that he had repeatedly reminded his personnel to value and protect their jobs.
The incident comes as jail authorities continue to enforce measures aimed at preventing the entry and circulation of illegal drugs and other contraband inside detention facilities.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)
