FOUR drug lords included in the Police Regional Office 7’s list of the top 10 most wanted drug personalities are operating in Cebu Province.
Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Senior Supt. Clifford Gairanod said they are tracking these persons who have no pending arrest warrants, like suspected drug kingpin Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz.
Diaz recently asked for forgiveness from his victims and said he has already stopped selling shabu.
Three of these drug lords are based in southern parts of Cebu, while the other personality is distributing narcotics in the northern towns, police said.
One of them was behind the ambush-slay of Senior Insp. Jonas Tahanlangit, the police chief of Poro, Camotes.
Enough warning
Gairanod, in a press conference yesterday, said they are also monitoring around ten police officers who are involved in the illegal drug trade as protectors of drug pushers or shabu dealers themselves.
“Sakto na to akong warning nila nga moundang na anang illegal kay kung dili magka pinusilay gyod mi (If they ignore my warning, we will have to shoot it out),” he said.
Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante had reported that there are six police officers protecting drug pushers in the town.
Gairanod said they are receiving reports from civilians and town officials about erring police officers.
He said the police stations in 41 municipalities and seven component cities of the Cebu have list of priority targets who may be caught in the simultaneous anti-illegal drugs operations dubbed as Limpiyo Probinsiya.
The police official said they received reports that some of the personalities have already fled.
Meanwhile, police arrested two suspected drug pushers and seized more than P400,000 worth of shabu in separate buy-busts in San Francisco, Camotes last Monday.
In Barangay Sonog, a team led by San Francisco Police Chief Philip John Libres caught James Mark Luchavez Samapan, 19, and seized from him shabu worth P299,770.
Complaints
Another suspect, Reymond Wenceslao, 25, was captured in Barangay San Isidro and P186,640 worth of shabu were seized from him.
They will face complaints for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
In Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Cities last Monday, three persons, including an alleged notorious snatcher, were arrested for carrying firearms and illegal drugs.
Mark Anthony Abad, 29, a suspected snatcher, was caught in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
PO3 Arthur Cuyos of Mandaue Police Station (PS) 2 said they received a call about a person who was carrying a firearm on M. Logarta St. at 6:45 p.m.
Members of the PS 2 led by Senior Insp. Narciso Abapo arrested him after he was seen carrying a .38 revolver.
Recovered
Police also recovered five sachets of suspected shabu from the suspect.
Abad, a resident of Sitio Aroma in Subangdaku, will be charged for violating the firearms and anti-drugs law.
In Barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City, a drug pusher who was targeted by the authorities for about three years was arrested in a buy-bust by Mandaue PS 4. The operation was led by Senior Insp. Pedy Noval.
Robert Ybañez, 31, was caught after a police decoy bought a sachet of shabu worth P200 from him at 5:20 p.m.
PO2 Francisco Quipanes Jr. of PS 4 said Ybañez used to identify himself as Dodot or Bobby Jaime.
Police also recovered four sachets of illegal drugs from the suspect.
“The street value of the five sachets increased to P1,500 because of the campaign against illegal drugs and the supply of illegal drugs is limited,” Quipanes said.
Ybañez was detained at PS 4 holding cell.
In Lapu-Lapu, a 50-year-old drunk man was arrested after brandishing his firearm in Zone Pansat, Barangay Kalawisan past 7 p.m.
SPO2 Candido Barinque, desk officer of Lapu-Lapu PS3, said Jaime Bensi fired his firearm once, after he got irked by a man.
Bensi said the man was problematic because his wife had a mental illness.
Barinque said Bensi will be charged with violation of RA 10591, after a .38 revolver with five bullets was seized from his possession.
Bensi is now detained at the station’s detention cell.