Shabu suspects fall in busts

CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested three drug pushers during successive drug operations in a drug-infested sitio in Barangay Pulang Bato over the weekend.

Arrested were Emmanuel Damaolao alias ML, 26, and his cohort Weven Bughao, 44. The main subject of the operation, a certain Felix Bonbon, eluded arrest. Also arrested later was Melvin Ronda Tumulak alias Melboy.

Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, chief of the City Intelligence Branch who also led one of the operations, described the suspects as level two drug pushers who can dispose off at least 200 grams of shabu ever week.

Santander said they received reports about the alleged illegal activities of the suspects through the hotline number of the recently launched illegal drugs program of the Cebu City Police Office, the Multi-Agency Against Drugs (MAD) Task Force.

Damaolao, a resident of the place, and Bughao, of Nasipit, Talamban, were arrested at past 1 am yesterday.

A team led by PO3 Buenaventura Ursaiz, Jr., after sealing a “deal” with Bonbon for them to buy a pack or P1000 worth of shabu, proceeded to the area where the supposed transaction would take place.

As soon as PO1 Jason Ruiz, the police decoy, handed over the P1,000 bust money to the suspects, policemen appeared to arrest them. Damaolao was arrested but Bonbon managed to flee. They recovered the medium-sized pack of the substance believed to be shabu from Damaolao and later seized four more packs of the same substance from him. A pack of the same crystalline substance was seized from Damaolao’s companion, Bughao.

Police were chasing Bonbon when they covered in plain view at the table of the suspect’s house a 9mm homemade revolver with five live ammunitions still inside the cylinder.

Meanwhile, shortly before yesterday midnight, a team led by Santander arrested Tumulak from whom they seized at least 11 packs of suspected shabu. Tumulak was placed under arrest as soon as he handed over a pack of the substance and received the buy-bust money from a police operative who acted as poseur-buyer.

A subsequent body search on the suspect yielded 10 small packs of suspected shabu that were placed inside a small pink canister, Santander said.

A snub nose caliber .38 revolver with two live bullets was also found tucked on the suspect’s waist.

All the suspects are detained awaiting the filing of proper charges for possessing and selling shabu against them.   - (THE FREEMAN)