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Sunday, October 12, 2003
CIIB nabs 2 ‘drug pushers’
By Mia E. Abellana
THE Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB) arrested two suspected drug pushers in an early morning raid yesterday.
Led by CIIB Chief Pablo Labra II, the operatives first surrounded the house of Artemio Gonido on
St. Jude St., Barangay Hipodromo, Cebu City at 7 a.m.
Gonido was still asleep when they arrived.
PO3 Brazilio Borinaga said Gonido first thought that the search warrant issued by Municipal Trial Court in Citites Judge Francisco Seville was for drugs.
Upon learning that the warrant was for illegal possession of firearms, Gonido shut the door for about five minutes before Labra convinced him to open it.
Assurance
Labra told him that if he had nothing to hide, there was no reason not to let them in.
Labra assured Gonido could even choose who he wants to act as witness to the search.
The drug suspect finally relented and let his brother-in-law oversee the search.
Police confiscated eight sachets of suspected shabu in Gonido’s bedroom and found a .38 snub-nosed revolver with two bullets in his bathroom.
But Gonido said these were “obviously” planted.
He said the policemen first checked the bathroom in the first floor and proceeded to the second floor to search his bedroom.
It was only after they searched his bedroom did two policemen return to the bathroom and “find” the revolver, he said.
Gonido said that if he had any illegal items kept in his house, he would have escaped through the window.
Common alibi
But Labra said Gonido’s story was a common alibi among arrested persons.
Gonido could not have escaped through the window because aside from it being too high, the operatives also had the house surrounded.
Labra said they could not finish searching the bathroom because someone was taking a bath inside.
The same CIIB team also raided the house of Ronald Arellano, but he was not around.
When the team arrived, Ronald’s brother Bienvenido was caught repacking shabu.
Lawmen then seized a medium pack of shabu and seven decks from the house.
Bienvenido admitted that the house was often used as a drug den and that they charged P5 per head, but the items were not his.
He said the shabu and several drugs paraphernalia were left behind by a certain Jay.
But police insisted that he was repacking the seized drugs when they arrived.
Labra said barangay officials were the ones who informed them of Arellano’s and Gondino’s illegal activities.
He labeled Gondino a level two pusher who operated in the pier area, Barangays Talamban and Lahug, Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City.
He reportedly gets his stocks from Tangke, Talisay City.
Gondino earlier claimed that he worked for an arrastre firm. But Labra said that based on their surveillance on him, this was not true.
He also said the Arellano brothers also support Gondino’s operations.
(October 12, 2003 issue)
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