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Sunday, December 14, 2003
Jailer in jail for 'drugs sale'
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU -- A jail officer was among four men arrested in a raid by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB) Saturday dawn in Bacayan, Cebu City.
A .38 revolver with three bullets and four medium packs of suspected shabu were confiscated from SJO1 Edwin Sarcon, 37, who is assigned in the regional headquarters of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The four packs seized from Sarcon at 2:30 a.m. in his house in Villa del Rio, Bacayan, contained a total of 55.13 grams of suspected shabu.
CIIB Chief Pablo Labra II said Sarcon was among the top drug pushers in the Talamban and Bacayan area, and classified as "level three" or street pusher.
Labra's office has received countless complaints from residents of the area against Sarcon and the four other subjects of the raid.
Selling of drugs, regardless of amount, carries a sentence of life imprisonment to death under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
When sought for comment, Sarcon said he was "tired" of answering questions and will make a statement some other time. He also asked another reporter not to state that he was a jail officer, saying his arrest had nothing to do with his job.
Barangay's call
The Talamban Barangay Council recently passed a resolution asking the City Government to do something about the drug problem in their area, which prompted Labra to conduct an operation.
Labra said the drug problem in Talamban was not as bad as in Pasil and Suba, but the barangay officials did not want things to get worse.
BJMP 7 Assistant Regional Director Manuel Duka could not be contacted for comment because he did not report to the office Saturday.
However, Sun.Star learned that Sarcon was under suspension for one year since the term of then BJMP 7 Assistant Regional Director Reynaldo Berdin.
The reason for his suspension could not be ascertained.
Before Sarcon's suspension, he was assigned at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC).
Labra refused to speculate if Sarcon was involved in the drug distribution within the jail, but said it was not impossible.
BBRC link
CIIB also received reports that Sarcon was one of the first to "welcome" suspected drug lord Joel "Tongol" Nodalo back to the BBRC a few days after the latter led four others in bolting out.
The City Government has stripped BBRC personnel of allowances following allegations of special treatment to some inmates, smuggling of drugs within the jail and corruption of jail officers.
Several officers have been investigated and relieved for their alleged involvement.
Arrested with Sarcon were Elmer Nabua, Peter Arcilla and Rico Oporto after separate searches were conducted in their homes.
They also refused to talk to reporters.
Oporto yielded a .38 revolver with two bullets and a big plastic pack of shabu when operatives searched his house in Sitio Kalubihan, Hidden Valley, Talamban at 12:05 a.m.
Labra said Oporto was not only involved in drugs, he also took part in robberies.
Arcilla also yielded a .38 revolver with two bullets and two big packs of suspected shabu while a .38 revolver with three bullets, a medium sized pack of shabu and sniffing paraphernalia were seized from his neighbor Roldan Molihon.
9 more
Molihon, though, was able to elude arrest as he sensed CIIB and Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) operatives approaching.
At 2:30 a.m., the operatives proceeded to Villa del Rio in Bacayan to serve the search warrant against Sarcon and Nabua.
Confiscated from Nabua were a .38 revolver with two bullets and five plastic packs of suspected shabu.
The five search warrants were issued by MTCC Executive Judge Francisco Seville Jr.
Nine other men were picked up after operatives caught them gambling in the area.
All arrested persons were taken to the Cebu City Police Office and detained in the stockade.
(December 14, 2003 issue)
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