Suspected bigtime pusher falls

CEBU, Philippines - A suspected drug pusher was arrested after police found shabu worth P50,000 and assorted weapons and drug paraphernalia inside his house in Barangay 5, Tuburan town, yesterday afternoon.

Johnny Ylanan, 33, was arrested by policemen who came to enforce the search warrant issued by Judge Soliver Peras of Regional Trial Court Branch 10.

Police found in his house a big pack of shabu, another three medium packs of shabu, a big roll of aluminum foil, three disposable lighters, an improvised tooter, four cellular phones, P4,500 in suspected drug money, a .45 cal. pistol, a .22 cal. air gun, two .45 cal. magazines and 20 .45 cal. rounds as well as two .357 rounds.

The arrest was a joint operation of the Tuburan police led by Senior Insp. Mark Sucalit, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 led by Special Investigator 2 Ferdinand Quintanar and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 led by SPO4 Joseph Montesclaros.

Sucalit said that Ylanan has been under surveillance for almost a month after they received reports from the residents about his illegal activities.

“Maglinya kuno ang mamalitay ana sa ilaha pero inig adto namo dili namo maabtan maong wa usa namo gi-aresto,” he said.

Sucalit told The FREEMAN that Ylanan tried to escape but he was immediately handcuffed by the operatives.

He said that Ylanan was second on the wanted list of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Team after the top pusher Jeffery Blanco was arrested last October. He was able to elude arrest during the first operation conducted by Tuburan police.

Ylanan is labeled a Level 2 drug pusher who can sell at least 200 grams, or P1.3 million worth of shabu, per week.

“At least nakuhaan napud kog tunok diha sa Tuburan. I appreciated the effort of our policemen in Tuburan,” Cebu Provincial Police Office director Erson Digal said in a phone interview.

Tuburan Mayor Dimocrito Diamante said that Ylanan admitted that he has been selling drugs for years already.

“Nalipay ko kay nadakpan na gyud intawn siya pero giangkon gyud niya nga mao na iyang pangita,” he said.

Aside from Tuburan, Ylanan also allegedly sold drugs in Toledo City and the towns of Tabuelan, Asturias and Balamban.

Ylanan will be temporarily detained at the CIDG office while a case for illegal possession of firearms and violation of Republic Act 9165 are set to be filed against him today at the Regional Trial Court.

Meanwhile, the firearms, explosives and ammunitions confiscated from an airport police will be subjected for verification under the Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Supervision Section after the chief of logistic support of Airport Police Division denied the ownership of the items.

Airport Police Corporal Clifford Wahing went to the Provincial Intelligence Branch yesterday and denied that he signed the memorandum receipt presented by Corporal Arnulfo Morales.

Morales, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team of the Mactan Cebu International Airport was arrested during a raid inside his house in Sitio Riverside, Barangay Dawis Norte, Carmen town, last Sunday morning, after operatives found several firearms and explosives.

His arrest was a joint operation of the PIB led by PO3 Reynaldo Solante and members from the Special Reaction Unit based on a search warrant issued by Judge Edito Enemicio of Regional Trial Court Branch 25 last December 16.

Morales was able to present mission orders and memorandum receipts for his .22 cal. rifle, .45 cal. pistol and the 9mm pistol from the APD but Wahing denied he signed the memorandum receipts.

Solante said that before they applied for a search warrant, they checked with the FESAGSS which reported only a record of an expired firearm license under Morales’ name. 

PO3 Solante told The Freeman that they still have to verify the owners of other firearms since some of the items were not issued under Morales while others were unlicensed.

“Kinahanglan namo mahibaw-an ang owners kay dili man siya muangkon nga iya ni tanan,” he said.

Morales was found with an unlicensed .45 cal. pistol, a 9mm pistol, two .22 cal. rifles, two rifle grenade launchers, a knife and assorted rounds for the guns mentioned.

Morales denied firing indiscriminately and being a gun-for-hire. He also denied that he scared his neighbors by pointing his gun at them.

Solante said that Morales once shot an ex-convict identified as Jose Tuico in 2009 and engaged in shootout against policemen in Cebu City. (THE FREEMAN)