Cebu City Jail raid yields shabu, weapons

CEBU, Philippines - Five grams of suspected shabu, cellphones and bladed weapons were confiscated during the ‘Greyhound Operation’ carried out by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) -7 inside the Cebu City Jail yesterday dawn.

Personnel from the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-7 were also present during the operation.

The order for the operation came from PDEA-7 Regional Director Yogi Ruiz said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Apart from the suspected illegal drugs, cellphones and bladed weapons, Ruiz also said they confiscated from one inmate a notebook containing a list of names which they will investigate further to see if those names are involved in the illegal drug trade.

“Naa mi nakit-an nga mga listahan. Mao amo tong conductan og further investigation. Kay naka-lista mga tao ug kinsa kining iyahang gihatagan og shabu, ila, iyahang kolektahunon,” said Ruiz.

Ruiz said the owner of the notebook was a drug pusher who has been in jail for four years, though he refused to name the inmate.

He added that the operatives also found a cabinet filled with grocery items. The cabinet’s owner pleaded with the operatives to spare the cabinet because it is his business and his family relies on his income from it.

Ruiz suspected that the inmates may have received a tip that a ‘greyhound operation’ will be conducted as, he said, the inmates were behaving suspiciously, as though they were already expecting the operation.

“Wala man (sila ni-resist). Medyo kuyawan mi ganiha kay medyo kiat sila kompara sa mga inmates sa CPDRC,” Ruiz said.

For the security of the operatives, the inmates were asked to strip down as weapons may be hidden underneath their clothes.

“Gipahubo gihapon. Pero wala’y picture. Bahala na ang human rights diha. Bahala na unsa’y isaway sa human rights basta dili lang ma-compromise ang atoang safety,” said Ruiz.

The city jail has more than 2,000 inmates. —/JBB (FREEMAN)