CEBU City’s police captured 11 people during the weekend for possessing or selling illegal drugs, including a woman with almost P1.3 million worth of shabu.
Police collared Emelyn Dingal, 49, in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, one of the areas they’ve identified as being “seriously affected” by the illegal drug trade. The police also described her as a big-time drug dealer.
The mother of three was caught with packs of the illegal substance, which weighed 110 grams.
Had these reached buyers, the stash would have fetched P1.298 million, based on prices estimated by the Dangerous Drugs Board.
Supt. Romeo Santander, City Intelligence Branch (CIB) chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), described Dingal as a level-one drug pusher, who could dispose of about one kilo of shabu per week.
Women
He also noticed the rise in the number of women peddling shabu, which he suspects is a diversionary tactic drug syndicates are using.
The CIB conducted the buy-bust past 1 a.m. yesterday following three weeks of surveillance.
A police decoy bought a medium pack of shabu for P2,000 from Dingal. The CIB later found more packs inside Dingal’s house and P23,000 cash.
Four gambling machines were also seized by police when they discovered these placed near a makeshift house.
Santander said they also found a text message on Dingal’s mobile phone, “Naa’y mga buang, alerto (Be alert, the fools are coming).” But the CIB got Dingal before she could read the message.
Not using
When interviewed while she was inside her detention cell, Dingal admitted to selling shabu to feed her family.
“Tungod sa kalisod kapit na lang ta sa patalim (The times are hard. I had to do what I could to survive),” she said.
Her husband operates a motorcycle-for-hire, she said, but his income is not enough for their daily needs. They have three children, aged 12, 18 and 21.
During the interview, she revealed she started peddling shabu last year.
Different people would come to her house to deliver the illegal substance and collect the proceeds. She gets a small percentage.
Though she was involved in the illegal activity, Dingal said, she never used shabu.
“Dawaton na lang ko ni kay wala na man ko’y mahimo (I will accept this because there’s nothing else I can do),” she said, when asked about the prospect of jail time.
Before the operation, the CIB also arrested four people, two of them women, who were allegedly caught in a pot session in Barangay Punta Princesa at 9:45 p.m. Saturday.
They were Claire Ann Lim, 40; Jovelyn Montes, 24; Lutgardo Molina, 30; and Romeo Atillo, 42. Confiscated from them were drug-sniffing paraphernalia, such as lighters and tinfoil.
Meanwhile, the Guadalupe Police Station led by Senior Insp. Allan Rosario caught five people allegedly engaged in the illegal drug trade in Barangay Kalunasan at 6 p.m. Saturday.
They were identified as Lordnoe Vargas, 28; Anthony Vargas, 37; Michael Alesna, 22; Remy John Enarlan, 25; Ruzz Lord Espinoza, 29; and Marlon Mulig, 39.
Seized from them were 12 ampules of the regulated painkiller Nubain, 15 packs of suspected shabu, drug paraphernalia and P1,595, believed to be drug proceeds.