"Drug market" and drug dens found

CEBU, Philippines - An illegal drugs “market” was discovered yesterday by the police who were trying to serve an arrest warrant for a drug pusher at Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City.

The subject of their operation, 30-year-old Jeffrey Kapalaran, managed to flee but the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Central Visayas instead stumbled on the “shabu market” at Sitio Dita at around noon.

The operation was based on a search warrant issued by Judge Enriquita Belarmino of Regional Trial Court Branch 57 on Feb. 15 against Kapalaran.

Barangay officials reported Kapalaran’s 10-year-old illegal operation to the CIDG-7 late last month.

Chief Insp. Fermin Armendares, who headed the raid, told The FREEMAN they were overwhelmed by the widespread buying and selling of drugs in the area.

Armendares said the market or tiangge was at least 45 meters from the house of Kapalaran, beside a river where makeshift stalls were put-up as “open-air drug dens.”

“At least 15 men scampered when we arrived. Most of them were sniffing drugs at the tiangge in the bushes,” he said.

Only Archie Cabarillos, 31, of Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City; Eufrecino Borres, 35, and Roland Ople, both from Barangay Budlaan, Cebu City, were caught when the police raided the place.

Two motorcycles were also left at the tiangge after their owner fled.   

A sachet containing white powder was seized from each of the three drug users, who admitted they purposely went to the place to buy and use drugs.

“I’ve been a patron in the tiangge for a while now. It was just now that I ran out of luck and I was apprehended by the police,” said Borres, a driver of habalhabal or motorcycle-for-hire.

Drugs sold at the tiangge, according to Armendares, came from Kapalaran who can easily dispose P300,000 worth of shabu per week.

Recovered from the suspect’s house, were nine sachets, a medium pack and a bulk of white powder believed to be shabu. These have a total street value of P57,000.

Based on Cebu City’s Barangay Anti-Drugs Abuse council, Barangay Pulangbato is considered as the number eight most drug infested barangay. — (FREEMAN)