Thursday, July 31, 2008 PDEA arrests 2 women in Ermita for possessing shabu, drug kit
A BUY-bust operation saw the arrest of two women engaging in illegal drug activities last Tuesday evening.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 spokesman Jessie Tabanao said they arrested Raniza Rafuela, 32, and Roselyn Parojinog, 19, in Sitio Proper, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City after a buy-bust operation at 9 p.m.
Rafuela and Parojinog were arrested after Rafuela passed a packet of shabu worth P300 to a PDEA 7 agent and received the marked money during the operation, said Tabanao.
Parojinog, though not in the possession of shabu, was allegedly selling drug paraphernalia.
Paraphernalia
“We have arrested Parojinog as well because she was said to be selling foils and other drug paraphernalia,” Tabanao told Sun.Star Cebu.
However, during the arrest of Rafuela and Parojinog, a scuffle between PDEA agents and residents of Ermita ensued after some residents tried to “rescue” the two arrested women.
PDEA 7 recovered P900 worth of shabu from the buy-bust operation, as well as drug paraphernalia from Parojinog. Rafuela was carrying three packets of shabu worth P300 each.
Tabanao explained that after more than a week of surveillance in Sitio Proper and spotting Rafuela and Parojinog, PDEA 7 decided to commence with their buy-bust operation Tuesday night.
Both women are now detained at the PDEA 7 office and waiting charges.
Along with arresting Rafuela and Parojinog, PDEA 7 seized four “mole-mole” machines and one video carrera machine from the site where they were caught engaging in illegal drug activities.
Tabanao said that though the PDEA 7 does not normally seize illegal gambling machines, they were given the directive from PDEA Director General Dionisio Santiago to seize machines should they be found in areas where illegal drug activities were going on.
Dionisio’s order was established because of the complaints of the Parents Teacher Association to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV of the rampant illegal gambling in Cebu City.
Senator Trillanes then forwarded this concern to Santiago.
The directive said that any illegal gambling machines in the vicinity of a drug bust operation may be confiscated. This directive was established weeks ago and its main objective is to stop the widespread of illegal gambling and drug buying. (EPB/Victorino Reynes IV USJR Masscom Intern)
