CEBU, Philippines - Police operatives seized close to P1 million worth of suspected methampethamine hydrochloride or shabu from two alleged drug dealers in a joint operation held in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.
The joint operation conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and the Investigation Detective Management Branch of Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) netted P800,000 worth of the illegal drugs.
The first suspect to be arrested was identified as Abdul Pangcoga, 22, who temporarily resides in a pension house in barangay Zapatera, Cebu City.
His arrest eventually led to the arrest of a female cohort identified as Mila Macabato in barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City.
Both suspects claimed to hail from Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur.
Supt. Pablo Labra II, deputy director of CCPO, said they received yesterday an intelligence report about a man selling illegal drugs at the said pension house.
They then conducted a buy-bust operation and through a poseur buyer, they were able to arrest Pangcoga, who yielded a big pack of suspected shabu with a street value of P400,000.
Through the course of the investigation, Pangcoga revealed and identified Macabato as his source.
Labra said that they then informed MCPO director Noel Gillamac, which led to the arrest of Macabato at 3 p.m.
Policemen from Mandaue organized a buy-bust operation with the CCPO providing P40,000 in marked money.
A big pack of suspected shabu was recovered from Macabato. Another four medium packs of the alleged illegal drug was seized from her when she was frisked. The illegal drugs all amounted to P400,000 also.
Gillamac said that they were lucky that the residents of Mantuyong, who are known to give policemen arresting drug suspects a hard time, were not able to top anything to stop their operation.
CCPO director Patrocinio Comendador said that most of the illegal drug suspects they have arrested hail from Mindanao.
Comendador said that in fact last year, they also arrested a man from Marawi City for allegedly selling almost P1 million worth of shabu.
The police said that most of the illegal drugs come from Mindanao.
Macabato, who has been tagged as a level 2 pusher, who can dispose of 200 grams of shabu every week, said that she arrived in Mantuyong last November.
She claimed that the illegal drugs are delivered to her house and she only gets paid P500 for every big pack of shabu that she disposes.
Labra said that another drug suspect, who they arrested yesterday, also tagged Macabato as his supplier.
Macabato is temporarily detained at the Police station 1 pending the filing of the violation of the section 5 of R.A 9165. – with Lesley Caminade of Banat News/NLQ (FREEMAN NEWS)