Fewer contraband found at Cebu City Jail

Personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) search the sleeping area of Talisay City inmates for shabu and other prohibited items.
/PDEA-7 photo

Cell phone chargers, a tooter, sharp objects and ropes were confiscated from the male detention cells of the Cebu City Jail during a greyhound operation early on Friday morning.

But no drugs were confiscated during the operation initiated by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“This is one of our indicators that the security measures we have implemented are effective. We were able to control the entry of these contraband,” said Jail Warden Arnel Peralta.

Still, Peralta said he does not discount the possibility that drugs may be hidden somewhere at the Cebu City Jail.

At the Talisay City Jail, no contraband were confiscated from the six male detention cells that were subject of a separate greyhound operation also on Friday morning.

The greyhound operation was made at 7 a.m. or two hours after a similar operation was conducted at the Cebu City Jail.

“We’re grateful, for now, that there were no contraband found. However, we will not be complacent on this. More greyhound operations are expected (at the Talisay City Jail) before the year ends,” said Jail Warden Gil Inopia.

The Talisay City facility located in Barangay Maghaway has a total of 762 inmates.

Inopia said Friday’s greyhound operation was in compliance with a nationwide Oplan Greyhound of the BJMP central office.

“We were told by our national counterpart to coordinate with PDEA and the PNP to conduct regularly these greyhound operations. Not only to make sure that we’re clean from contrabands but also in preparation of the celebration of the National Consciousness Week next week,” he added.

Peralta said in a separate interview that the outcome of their greyhound operation at 5 a.m. on Friday was an indication that the strengthened security measures that they enforced at the facility worked.

He was told by inmates that they used the confiscated bladed weapons found to peel and slice fruits and other food items sent by their relatives.
But this does not mean that jail officials will already be complacent, Peralta said.

He suspects that the city jail is still not drug-free.

“We are not closing our minds (to the possibility) that there are still illegal drugs inside the jail. There are still illegal drugs inside. What we just want to do (for now) is to find ways to locate these and to look for the points of entry,” he said.