Drug, sex trade rampant in Zambo evacuation center?

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - Authorities expressed alarm over the  number of evacuees in the evacuation center here that are engaged in peddling of illegal drugs following the arrest if three  female suspects involved in drug trade inside the camp, an official said.

Chief Inspector Arlan Delumpines, chief of the city police Criminal Investigation and detection Management (CIDM), said they have received information about the drug operation in the evacuation center along the coastline of R.T Lim Boulevard, prompting them to conduct surveillance.

“It turned out that drugs were indeed being peddled inside the evacuation camp,” Delumpines said.

The police City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force (CAIDSOFT) launched a buy bust operation, leading to the arrest of three female evacuees Wednesday.

Police identified the suspects as Rahsa Bairulla, 32, Analyn Ammong, 25, and Rolyn Kasim, 28, who are detained at the police station.

The suspects admitted they were peddling methamphetamine hydrochloride locally known as shabu in the evacuation center.

The police also recovered from the suspects a number of plastic-heat sealed sachets containing shabu, lighter, aluminum foil strips, improvised straw scoop, tissue paper, candle, a pair of  scissors, and several empty small transparent plastic sachets,   medium-sized heat sealed plastic transparent sachet containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, one pack of calypso polypropylene bags, one aspen pocket notebook, one notebook, one blue pouch bag, and social welfare’s disaster assistance family access card.

The police said security was stepped up in the evacuation camp following reports that shabu is being sold in the camp.

Police suspected that those involved could be the same personalities, who were evacuees from the devastated villages of Rio Hondo and Sta. Barbara, two of the areas known to have high cases of peddling of illegal drugs

Meanwhile, the local health office also confirmed the cases of prostitution inside the evacuation center in the  sports complex.

The health office  has listed 16 cases of sexually transmitted infection among the evacuees and measures have been adopted to prevent the sex trade inside the camp.

Part of the measures was to decongest the number of evacuees in the sport complex and relocation has  begun  to the temporary bunkhouses. - Roel Pareño