Manila, Jan. 17 -- Police operatives in Negros Oriental, along with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the province, arrested three suspected drug personalities as part of the campaign against illegal drugs.

The Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) reported on Friday that the latest to fall was Herbert Aurea Lazo, 38, of Barangay San Miguel in Bacong town.

Lazo, tagged as a "street-level target" and included on the police's watchlist of suspected drug personalities, was arrested at 9:20 a.m. Thursday in Barangay Combado.

Recovered from him were six heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, a PHP500 marked bill, and a motorcycle.

The suspected shabu was estimated to weigh 0.85 grams with a Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of PHP5,780.

At around 1:15 a.m., police arrested Glenn Emperado Miguel, 30, of Barangay Tampocon II in Ayungon town by virtue of a search warrant issued by Judge Candelario Gonzalez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Bais City.

The suspect is a newly-identified "street-level target", the NOPPO report said.

Confiscated from him were six pieces of small and four pieces of medium-sized heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, tin foil, a lighter, and cash of different Philippine peso bills and coin denominations.

The recovered "shabu" was estimated to weigh 1.2 grams with a DDB value of PHP10,000.

Meanwhile, at around 11:55 p.m. Wednesday, police personnel in Basay, the farthest town in southern Negros Oriental, and PDEA operatives conducted a buy-bust which resulted in the arrest of Leodegario Capareda Bastida, another "street-level target", 28, of Tontonan, Barangay Bal-os.

Seized from him were some 0.30 grams of suspected shabu with a DDB value of PHP2,040.

All arrested suspects are now detained pending the filing of charges against them for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Provincial police director, Col. Julian Entoma has reiterated that they will continue their relentless operations against the illegal drug trade, especially with the upcoming Sinulog Festival in Cebu this weekend.

The festival expected to attract thousands of religious devotees and tourists, both local and foreign, to Central Visayas.

He said Dumaguete is a transit point to Cebu, considering its proximity to the province.