AFTER a series of meticulous operations, a Cebu-based drug group was uncovered as the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) biggest haul, amounting to P118 million, last Saturday night.
According to Cebu City Director Joel Doria, the trail started after Melchor Ocarol, the brother of a barangay councilor in Pasil, was caught after his drug pusher, Evacuito Openia, was arrested first on October 17 last year.
“It all started with Ocarol. When he started revealing names, our surveillance to the persons he mentioned turned out positive and the arrests followed after,” Doria said.
Ocarol, a level 3 drug pusher, was a vital source of information to the police in tracking down the persons involved, from the lowest runners to the highest drug players. He was caught with P14.8 million worth of shabu in Barangay Pasil.
Majority of them were caught with huge stash of drugs, which could fetch millions in the market according to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value.
After Ocarol, Meraljean Ongcol and her husband Daniel were arrested on Nov. 16 last year during a One Time Big Time operation. The couple were from Tisa, which sourced their drugs from Ocarol.
On Christmas Eve, Michael Añedez, was arrested and followed by Kent and Marquel Daan.
Añedez and the Daans directly sourced his drugs from Mark “Macoy” Abellana who will be caught with his wife Mercy on Jan. 29.
On Jan. 23 this year, Sheila Abellana, who alleged that she was only an ordinary laundrywoman was caught by the operatives with P300,000 worth of shabu.
She is the first cousin of Mark.
The next arrest would be of Rhea Carnecil on Jan. 27 and her live-in partner, Dexter Jaca, was arrested later on Jan. 29 with Elier Atillo.
Carnecil pointed to her own husband and Atillo as also those who were involved.
Jaca and Atillo yielded P700,000 worth of shabu.
Sheila and Carnecil would be the bridges, which led operatives to the biggest drug confiscation from Mercy and Mark Abellana, the couple who had direct contacts to the Cebu City Jail and the National Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.
But the trail doesn’t end there, Doria said.
“We are establishing those who are still involved. There are still linkages on the top who is higher than Mark, Mercy and Melchor. Where is the production of these drugs?”
The Abellanas were caught in a buy-bust in Sitio Katangkungan 1, Barangay Basak Pardo at 9:30 p.m. with more than 10 kilos of shabu with a DDB value of P118,767,000.
Doria said three relatives of Mark belong to the top of the group, one is at large and is being monitored, the other is inside the Cebu City Jail and the last and biggest one, is serving jail time in the National Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City.
How did they transport that large amount of shabu unnoticed from authorities?
To prevent the entrance of these drugs, security at the ports should be strengthened and regional counterparts nearest to Cebu in the Luzon and Mindanao areas should be tapped, the city director stressed.
However, authorities are not discounting the possibility of a shabu laboratory in Cebu even if they usually find out that the island only serves as a transhipment point.
Councilor Dave Tumulak, deputy mayor for police matters, said the coordination of the concerned agencies to the intelligence community matters during an operation like this.
He asked the Cebu City Jail to explain their side why major drug players who are serving time in their facility can still contact their cohorts outside.
When sought for comment, Supt. Jessie Calumpang said that an investigation will be conducted.
Different bank transactions taken from Mercy and Mark, which amounted to a total of P3,100,000 will also be traced.
A total of P134,500,00 worth of shabu was confiscated from the group.
In an interview, Mercy and Mark denied the allegations.
“I just worked in a networking company in Carcar. And my husband takes care of the houseowner’s fighting cocks. It’s not ours,” she said.