AROUND P1.2 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in separate operations in the cities of Danao, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu City.
The police arrested the cousin of a suspected drug pusher in a raid in Sitio Quarry, Barangay Looc, Danao City yesterday afternoon.
Senior Insp. Alejandro Batobalonos, the city police chief, identified the suspect as Basilio Avila Lucero, 42.
The suspect is an assistant of alleged level-two drug pusher Armando Saquiz, the operation’s target named in the search warrant who eluded arrest.
Saquiz reportedly can dispose more than 200 grams of shabu per week in the city and in the neigboring towns of Compostela, Liloan and Consolacion.
Batobalonos said Saquiz is not connected with alleged drug lord Alvaro “Barok” Alvaro.
A month-long surveillance confirmed Saquiz’s involvement in illegal drug trade.
“He said his source is from Muntinlupa,” said Batobalonos, whose team seized 60 grams of white crystals believed to be shabu from a shanty where Saquiz’s subordinates repack the drugs.
The contraband is worth P708,000, according to the value set by the Dangerous Drug Board.
Batobalonos said Saquiz was able to flee because he noticed their presence through the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera.
Digital weighing scale and drug paraphernalia were seized by the police.
Complaints for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, will be filed against Saquiz and Lucero.
Cebu City raid
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 also arrested two men in Barangay Hippodromo last Wednesday afternoon.
The suspects were identified as Siegfred Robin, 42 and John Sanchez, 25.
Confiscated from their possession is 300 grams of shabu with a Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of P354, 000 and several drug paraphernalia.
Robin was a level 2 drug pusher.
He said that he was a carpenter and admitted that selling drugs was only his sideline.
“Ginagmay ra man akong baligya niya ako raman ning sideline (I only sell small quantity of shabu as my sideline),” Robin said in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu.
He said that he only started dealing with drugs when he has no carpentry works to handle.
Sanchez, on the other hand, alleged that he was only there to deliver the plastics that the shabu will be packaged in and it was by chance that by the time the operatives stormed the house, he was there.
“Amo man na ibaligya niya tag-P1 ang usa (We sell it to him for one peso each plastic),” he said, referring to Robin.
Operatives stormed the place at around 5:00 p.m. and found the two holed up in the garage of the house on the act of repacking the shabu while drug paraphernalia were strewn on the tables.
The suspects will be charged with the violation of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Robin will face charges for Sec. 5, 11 and 12 which are non-bailable offenses while Sanchez will be charged with Sec. 11 and 12 and can still post bail.
A man included in the top ten drug personality of the Police Station 8 was also caught in a buy-bust operation.
Police identified the suspect as Elmer “Abloy” Tabal, 34 and was involved in drug peddling in Talamban.
Lapu-Lapu City
The Lapu-Lapu City police also seized more than P133,000 worth of illegal drugs during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City last Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities caught three drug pushers, after the police decoy gave a signal to the other police that the suspects were confirmed to be selling illegal drugs.
Oscar Valiente, 55; Gilbert Amit,36; and Adrian Aparri, 32 were arrested in Sitio Abuno.
The operation was done by the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) and City Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Group in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7.
The suspects caught were unemployed and residents in Sitio Abuno.
Police Chief Insp. Mark Gifter Sucalit, head of CIB, said Valiente was the subject of the operation, after they received several reports of the suspect’s illegal activity.
CIB had also been monitoring Valiente because he was known in the area for selling illegal drugs.
The suspects were caught, after the police decoy bought a sachet of shabu to Valiente worth P1,000.
A small sachet and two other medium sachets containing white crystalline substance were confiscated from Valiente’s possession. The substances were believed to be shabu.
Police also recovered the P1,000 marked money and another P2,000 cash which is believed to be proceeds of selling illegal drugs from Valiente.
Five sachets of suspected shabu were seized from Amit while another three sachets from Aparri.
Several drug paraphernalia were also confiscated from Amit and Aparri.
The suspects initially resisted arrest and denied that they were selling illegal drugs.
Sucalit said the illicit drugs confiscated weighing 11.30 grams was worth P133,340.
“Nagpadung ang July, yung report nga nadawat namo ubay-ubay (As the next president will sit next month, we receive several reports related to illegal drug activities),” he said.
The suspects were temporarily detained in LCPO holding cell while the documents for the case to be filed against them were still being prepared.