Thursday, April 03, 2008 2 Argao 'suppliers' fall in raids By Mia E. Abellana Sun.Star Staff Reporter
TWO of Argao town’s “top drug suppliers” were arrested by members of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (Paidsotf) in simultaneous raids yesterday morning.
One of them was identified as a policeman’s brother.
Supt. Erson Digal, deputy provincial director for operations and chief of Paidsotf, identified the two as Elmer “Ilaga” Amarillo, 38 of T.S. Kintanar St., Barangay Poblacion and Nelson “Bulldog” Remoroza, 45.
Elmer is a brother of a policeman assigned in Boljoon town.
However, Elmer said he and SPO1 Carlito Amarillo were not close and that he even avoided associating with him because Carlito would often get mad at him.
Seized from Elmer’s house were 27 sachets of what are believed to be shabu crystals and shabu paraphernalia.
Surveillance
Elmer denied he was involved in the drug trade, saying he had friends who often dropped by his house and left their things there.
In Remoroza’s house, police seized shabu paraphernalia. He said he sourced his shabu from Carcar City and sold it around the town.
Digal said the two were placed under surveillance for a month.
After confirming their involvement in the trade, they applied for a search warrant before the Judge Eric Menchavez of the Regional Trial Court Branch 21.
Remoroza told Digal that a member of Paidsotf has been asking for money from him for nearly a year. He identified the operative as PO2 Eduardo Perez.
Remoroza said that Perez and another companion would arrive and ask for money for gas or other things.
He usually coughs up P1,000. Remoroza said it has been nearly a year that he has given money to Perez.
However, Digal said Perez was no longer a policeman and was dropped from the rolls.
Disbanded
Digal said that Perez used to be assigned with Paidsotf but the original members were disbanded following reports of extortion and other illegal activities.
When Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) Director ordered their reassignment to other police stations, Perez reportedly failed to report and was marked absent without official leave until he was eventually dropped.
Digal urged the public to report police personnel who try to pass themselves off as Paidsotf operatives.
He said they could always ask the CPPO headquarters or report to the nearest police station. (MEA)
