A COUPLE who allegedly operated a drug den located in Sitio Everlasting, Barangay Pahina San Nicolas, Cebu City, were apprehended during a buy-bust operation. Elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7, Cebu Provincial Office, and the Cebu City Police Office conducted the operation at 1:35 p.m. on Friday, July 25, 2025. The sting resulted in their arrest and that of two other individuals.
PDEA 7 Director Joel Plaza identified the targets of the operation as alias Marjun, 55, and his live-in partner, alias Mabel, 25, a fish vendor who also resides in the area.
PDEA agents also arrested two individuals found inside the drug den: alias Marlon, 46, a market porter from Barangay Inayawan, and alias Archer, 47, a sewage cleaner from Barangay San Nicolas proper.
Operatives confiscated six packets of suspected shabu weighing 10.12 grams with an estimated value of P68,160, along with P300 in cash, believed to be drug proceeds.
According to Leia Alcantara, information officer of PDEA 7, they conducted a two-week case buildup on the live-in partners after receiving information from a reliable source that the couple was operating a drug den. It’s alleged that they could sell 15 grams of drugs weekly to their customers, who were mostly market porters.
Alcantara added that individuals caught operating a drug den face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted of the charges. In addition, they could be fined P500,000 to P10 million. Those caught using drugs inside a drug den face a penalty of 12 years and one day to 20 years imprisonment and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P500,000. / AYB