Weed ‘peddler’ falls in buy-bust

A MAN who allegedly peddled marijuana was arrested in an entrapment in Sudlon, Maguikay, Mandaue City Tuesday night.

In previous transactions, the suspect allegedly used his 15-year-old daughter, a child with special needs, to sell the contraband.

The Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) will file a case for illegal drugs and child abuse against Apolonio Cortes, 52, who is now detained at MCPO Station 4.

IDMB personnel headed by Insp. Ramil Morpos arrested Cortes during the buy-bust last Tuesday at past 9:30 p.m.

Morpos said that Oliver Lawas, a son-in-law of Cortes, had a transaction with one of the police personnel as a poseur-buyer.

P100 bill

The poseur-buyer handed a marked P100 bill to Lawas in exchange for 10 sticks of marijuana. Lawas went inside the house where he told Cortes to give the buyer 10 sticks. Lawas quickly left, eluding arrest.

However, police arrested Cortes right after allegedly handing the illegal drugs.

Recovered from Cortes’s possession were 105 hand-rolled sticks of marijuana and a kilo of dried marijuana leaves.

Morpos said the recovered marijuana is worth more than P10,000.

Lawas, who hails from Liloan town, allegedly gets his supply of marijuana from Danao City. Lawas usually delivers one kilo of marijuana every two weeks for Cortes to sell.

The IDMB subjected the suspect to surveillance for two weeks after receiving a report from a member of the barangay intelligence network that he allegedly uses his daughter to peddle marijuana sticks.

Their surveillance confirmed that the child brought marijuana sticks to buyers.

From the Women and Children Protection Desk, the child was turned over to the Civil Social Welfare Services in Mandaue City.

The CSWS head, Violeta Cavada, said they will assess the child, although they cannot keep her long, since she has special needs.

Cavada said the child was turned over to the elder sister for immediate care.

Mayor Jonas Cortes will coordinate with Mandaue City Police Director Petronelli Baldebrin for a possible commendation of the IDMB personnel who rescued the child and recovered the marijuana.