Grade 9 student probed after 'shabu' seized at Leyte school

TACLOBAN CITY – A 14-year-old Grade 9 student is being investigated after school personnel allegedly recovered a sachet containing suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) inside the campus of Javier National High School in Javier, Leyte, prompting police and social welfare authorities to intervene.

The student, identified only by the alias “CMC” to protect his identity as required by law, was taken into the custody of authorities on Thursday, July 16, after a school employee recovered a plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance believed to be an illegal drug.

Police said personnel of the Javier Municipal Police Station responded to a request for assistance from the school at around 11:30 a.m. after teachers reported the incident.

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READ: Cops seize  P7-M worth of shabu, arrest suspect in Ormoc City buy-bust

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Initial investigation showed that the student and two classmates were being reprimanded by school personnel for loitering near the staircase leading to the school’s roof deck.

While they were being escorted to the guardhouse, the student allegedly took a small plastic sachet from his pocket and threw it toward a parked electric bicycle. A school staff member immediately retrieved the sachet and discovered that it contained a white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu.

The three students were brought to the principal’s office, where school officials immediately notified the police.

Responding officers coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Javier, which provided assistance in handling the case involving a child in conflict with the law (CICL), in accordance with existing juvenile justice procedures.

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The recovered sachet was marked and inventoried in the presence of the school employee who recovered it, an MSWDO social worker, two elected barangay officials from Poblacion Zone I, and the student’s parent. Police said they also attempted to secure the presence of a media representative during the inventory, but none was available.

The evidence has been submitted to the Regional Forensic Unit 8 for laboratory examination to determine the substance’s identity and weight.

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Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine how the student obtained the suspected illegal drugs and whether other individuals may have been involved.

The incident has also raised concerns over the possible entry of illegal drugs into school campuses, with authorities reiterating the need for closer coordination among schools, parents, and law enforcement agencies to prevent drug-related activities involving minors.

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Under Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, minors who come into conflict with the law are entitled to special protection, intervention, and rehabilitation, with social welfare authorities taking a central role in safeguarding their rights throughout the legal process. /das