NAGA CITY — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has taken the lead in the anti-drug campaign here which according to the newly appointed regional director had disabled 70 percent of the illegal drug trade operation.

        On Monday, the NBI together with a composite team from the police force and the Camarines Sur Interagency Anti-Crime Task Force raided seven houses here where suspected illegal drug substance (which laboratory test has yet to determine), drug paraphernalia and marijuana were confiscated.

        Seven persons were also apprehended, investigated and held in custody at the NBI office here in connection with the possession of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia.

        Now under the custody of the NBI are five members of Comprado family namely: Nelly, Adiong, Bobby, Warren and Tommy of San Felipe, Naga City. The Comprado family aside from peddling shabu and marijuana is also suspected of operating a drug den in their house where drug users burn and sniff shabu at P20 per session.

        Two others, namely: Jonathan Ballon and Ejercito de Jesus were also apprehended and placed under the custody of the NBI in separate raids on July 3 at Dayangdang St. and Molave St., respectively.

        Atty. Ricardo Diaz, former NBI Interpol chief and now Bicol regional director, ascertained that the simultaneous raid conducted on Monday have successfully dismantled the local network of drug trading that belonged to a certain Victor Lorenzo Rosales, a suspected drug dealer who controls 70 percent of the drug trade in Naga City and several towns in Camarines Sur.

        “I was alarmed by the proliferation of the illegal drug trade in Naga City when I took over my new position as regional director because the suspected drug dealers were operating very near the NBI office,” Diaz said.

        Victor Lorenzo and his brother Raoul Rosales, village chief of Barangay Balatas, whose houses were raided last month, were said to had been operating the illegal drug trade a block away from the NBI office here.

        Sources from the underworld here confirmed the disruption of illegal trading of shabu in Naga City in which they revealed that many were duped to buy adulterated shabu bloated by acetone and in some cases pounded ‘Albatross’ toilet deodorizer repacked in small sachets at P500 to P1,000 each.

        The sources added that the situation in the underground illegal market of shabu is that there is no supply these days available.

        Diaz said the Rosales brothers of Avocado St., Balatas, Naga City were listed in the order of battle of suspected shabu dealers here and have direct access to drug lords in Metro Manila where they obtain their supply.

        He said that they have to secure warrant of arrest against the Rosales brothers from Executive Judge Antonio M. Eugenio Jr. of the Regional Trial Court of Manila dated June 9, because, he said, he had received intelligence information that the suspected drug dealers have contacts with court personnel here.

        But the team of NBI agents from Bicol and Manila has only recovered 6.6 grams of shabu, shabu paraphernalia, hidden camera, monitor and several transparent plastic sachets that were said confiscated from the house of the Rosales brothers. The NBI agents also missed Victor Lorenzo alias ‘Chinglo’ who remained at large with two warrants of arrest for drug and drug paraphernalia possession issued against him by Regional Trial Court Branch 61.

        Diaz said Raoul has already been committed to the district jail here and that the Naga City Prosecutor’s Office has recommended no bail for his temporary liberty because the shabu confiscated is more than the five-gram limit of drug possession wherein bail is applicable.

        The NBI director said that the success of the raids here has been leak-free because they obtained search warrants from the courts outside the city.

        Diaz added that their mere presence in court seeking grant of warrant of arrest could easily be transmitted through text messages by anybody who has connection or relation with the suspected illegal drug dealers.

        He revealed that the other 30 percent of illegal drug trading were controlled by other sources and that the Rosales brothers have maintained the 70 percent of the trading because they had the capability to maintain their turfs.

        Diaz said that six persons apprehended yesterday were networks of Rosales while the one surnamed De Jesus belonged to other drug dealers that comprised the 30 percent of the illegal trading.

        Mayor Jesse Robredo of this city has organized three years ago a task force against illegal drug trade called Anti-Vice Task Force.

        But it failed to apprehend the Rosales brothers until the composite team of 70 NBI agents from the region and Metro Manila conducted a raid on June 14 this year.