20 men arrested during saturation drive by police

CEBU, Philippines - Acting on an anonymous tip, combined units of Cebu City Police Office conducted a saturation drive and rounded up 20 persons yesterday afternoon.

Headed by Arnold Bustamante, acting chief of Investigation and Detective Management Branch for the Police-Media Interaction Day (Police-MIND) program, the operation was conducted at around 3 p.m. in Sitio San Antonio, Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City.

Of the 20 apprehended, only four were charged in connection with possession of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia.

They were identified as Grace Barcenilla, 50, and Giovanni Boyonas, 29, both of Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City; and Ronald Sormeon, 32, of MJ Cuenco Ave. and, Donna Mae Barcenas, 20, of Barangay Pardo, Cebu City.

The operation was conducted in cooperation with Cebu Intelligence Branch, Theft and Robbery Section and Homicide Section of CCPO.

The whole team was divided into four and circled the area for about 15 minutes before converging into a single point where four video karera machines were also seized.

Barcenas was also caught with a pack of nubain and drug paraphernalia that she tried to hide in her underwear.

All 20 of those rounded up were brought to CCPO for profiling or background checking.  —/BRP (FREEMAN)