THE two former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who were arrested along Natalio Bacalso Avenue in Sitio San Vicente, Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City on Wednesday night, August 10, 2022, were getting their supply of illegal drugs from a courier of a known drug lord in the city.
This was disclosed by Intelligence Agent 1 Jessie Cabutotan of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Central Visayas on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
The suspects were identified as 29-year-old Rey Steven Buenavista and 44-year-old Jonel Añasco.
Recovered from the two men were 105 grams of shabu with an estimated worth of P714,000, based on the standard drug price.
However, they denied ownership of the illegal drugs.
Leia Alcantara, PDEA Central Visayas information officer, said they placed Buenavista under surveillance for close to two weeks before they conducted the raid.
She described Buenavista as a citywide high-value target since he reportedly operated in different barangays in Cebu City.
Alcantara said Buenavista is working for a known drug lord, but the agency won’t divulge the drug lord’s name so as not to endanger its ongoing investigation.
Buenavista and Añasco are detained at the PDEA 7 office pending the filing of charges against them.
Buenavista was released after posting bail last April. He was imprisoned at the Cebu City Jail in 2020 after he was arrested for selling drugs and charged with violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
As for Añasco, he was released last month after spending 10 years behind bars for murder and qualified theft. He had killed a man he just met along Tagunol Street in Barangay Mambaling in July 2012. (BBT, PJB)