Female 'pusher' falls in buy-bust

CEBU, Philippines - Police operatives arrested a female suspected drug pusher and confiscated illegal drugs amounting to P1.2 million during a buy bust operation at an uptown hotel yesterday morning.

The suspect was identified as Maria Theresa Gimenez, 35, a resident of Pakigne, Minglanilla. She is a cousin of suspected drug personality Giovanni ‘Nanan’ Gimenez.

The arrest was made by a team from the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force.

Confiscated from the suspect were a large plastic pack of illegal drugs, seven other large plastic packs of white crystalline substance weighing 200 grams, and ‘budol’ money with a P500 bill on top, including.

‘Budol’ money is used for buy bust operations requiring large amounts. This term is derived from scheme being used by swindlers to dupe their victims showing them what looks like a large amount of money, but only the bill on top is genuine, while ordinary paper is used to stuff the bundle.

Police Supt. Pablo Labra II, Deputy City Director for Operations who led the team, the suspect was under surveillance for a month.

Labra said that the transaction was supposed to be made in the southern town of Minglanilla located 15 kilometers from the city, but their poseur buyer refused to transact there and the deal was instead made at the hotel located along Juana Osmeña St.

“Wa ta mosugot nga sa iyang lugar buhaton kay dili ta safe ngadto and better safe sa hotel,” he said.

When the poseur buyer handed the ‘budol’ money to Gimenez, the police immediately swooped down on her.

The others in the team were PO3 Brazilio Borinaga, PO3 Clarissa Cortes, PO2 Christopher Torregosa, and PO2 Norman Años.

The suspect is tagged as a level one pusher, who can dispose of one kilogram of shabu estimated to cost P6.5 million on the street per week.

Labra said that he believes that Ma. Theresa’s cousin, Nanan, had a hand in this deal, but got her to instead do it for him.

Nanan is now out on bail for another drug charge.

“I suppose they are sharing the same sources from Manila,” he said.

Sr. Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, the CCPO director, said that they will continuously conduct operations against drugs.

“The suspect’s arrest was a great accomplishment of our unit again to think it was a huge amount recovered,” he told The Freeman.

Charges for illegal possession of illegal drugs or violation of RA 9165 will be filed against the suspect today at the City Prosecutor’s Office. — /NLQ (THE FREEMAN)