Friday, October 19, 2007 ‘Canned’ alibi fails to stop charge v. Banawa suspect
OFFICIALS from the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) said the claim of an arrested big-time drug pusher that the half-kilo of shabu confiscated from him was planted is a “canned response” from people in the illegal drug trade.
“Maayo unta og makilatan siya sa iyang gisulti (May lightning strike him for what he said),” Supt. Pablo Labra II said.
He was referring to Paulo “Intot” Calunsag’s allegation that the police planted the evidence against him during the raid last Wednesday afternoon in his house in Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe.
Labra, head of the city anti-illegal drug special operations task force, and CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador, in separate interviews yesterday, said denying ownership of the seized evidence and accusing the police of planting them have been the usual alibis of suspected drug pushers.
“The final arbiter is the court. He can defend himself in court, instead of accusing us of planting the evidence. Besides, who in his right mind will plant one-half kilo of shabu?” Comendador said.
Quick tip
Labra, Comendador and Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB) Chief George Ylanan said the operation against Calunsag resulted from “very good intelligence information.”
They attributed the success of the operation to the active participation of a civilian tipster who was quick to inform the police that shabu was allegedly being repacked inside Calunsag’s three-story house last Wednesday afternoon.
Minutes before the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor closed yesterday, the CIIB filed criminal complaints against Calunsag for illegal possession of shabu, illegal possession of drug paraphernalia, illegal possession of firearms and violation of the election gun ban.
Marissa Tripoli, his housemaid and alleged cohort, was also charged with possession of shabu.
The inquest proceedings against Calunsag and Tripoli started yesterday but the case against them was not filed yet in court for lack of time.
In his affidavit, PO2 Jonas Tahanlangit narrated that they implemented the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Ramon Codilla against Calunsag. Tahanlangit said he was designated as the searcher during the operation.
Repacking
When they arrived, Calunsag was in the living room of his house in Banawa.
The search was done in a presence of Calunsag and a barangay tanod.
At the lower portion of the house, which was used as the kitchen, was where they caught Tripoli, who was allegedly repacking shabu.
Aside from the P2 million worth of shabu, Tahanlangit also said that about P1 million was found near the repacked shabu, together with a loaded handgun.
During the search, they also found surveillance cameras in the house.
Labra said that Calunsag has long been in the shabu trade, distributing his supplies in Barangays Ermita and Pasil.
Calunsag was once arrested for the same offense, Labra said, but he was released because of a technicality in the search warrant.
“This time, we will make sure he will rot in jail,” Labra said.
Rewards
The arrest of Calunsag resulted in the confiscation of nearly P2 million worth of shabu.
Comendador said Calunsag’s drug trade is “organized” because he has his own men tasked to repack the drugs while others were assigned to handle the distribution and pushing.
Comendador described Calunsag as a “drug lord in his own turf.”
He is planning to submit recommendations to the Police Regional Office 7 and the Cebu City Government to give the highest commendation to the operatives involved in the biggest drug haul so far this year. (JST/KNT)
