6 caught for illegal drugs

CEBU, Philippines - Six people, including two women and two boys were arrested for alleged possession of shabu and marijuana in separate incidents in Cebu City last Saturday.

In sitio Itom Yuta, Barangay Lorega, suspects Marivic Himulatan, 47, and her daughter Debie Himulatan, 28, were arrested and seized from them were four sachets of white powdery substance believed to be shabu.

Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, head of the City Intelligence Branch of the Cebu City Police Office, identified the mother as a big-time drug pusher in the area.

Marivic’s husband, Santander further said, was also arrested for illegal drug pushing.

After placing Marivic under a one-week surveillance, police arranged a buy-bust operation to arrest her.

At about 8 pm, police proceeded to sitio Itom Yuta for the “deal” and as soon as Marivic handed over the three sachets of suspected shabu to the poseur-buyer, police arrested her.

Santander said the shabu packs amounted to P25,000.

Shortly after Marivic’s arrest, her daughter Debie reportedly went wild, prompting the police to respond back to the area at 10 pm.

The CIB chief said they recovered a small pack of the same substance from Debie, prompting them to arrest her.

Both suspects are detained in the same prison cell and will be charged for illegal drug possession.

Meanwhile, three teenagers, two of them minors, were also arrested and detained after they were reportedly caught in the act of smoking marijuana along the road at corner M.J. Cuenco Avenue, T. Padilla Street, Barangay T. Padilla at 6 pm last Saturday.

The arrested youngsters were identified as Bander Dela Cruz, 18, and two other boys aged 17 and 16.

Chief Insp. Aileen Recla, who heads Parian Police that arrested the young offenders, said they responded to the area after receiving a report from a concerned citizen that a group of youngsters gathered along the road and acted suspiciously.

Recla said they arrived at the area and arrested the three teenagers, while the other youngsters, who might have sensed the presence of the police, have escaped.

The three, who are out-of-school youths, yielded partially smoked hand-rolled cigarettes containing dried leaves believed to be marijuana, Recla said.

Dela Cruz, a resident of Villagonzalo II, Barangay Tejero, and two other minors were arrested and now detained at the detention cell of Parian Police.

Recla said they are now preparing charges for possession of illegal drugs against the suspects while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 is determining if the minors may have acted with discernment when they committed the crime.

In another incident in Mohon 1, Barangay Tisa, alleged drug pusher Rolito Caja was arrested after also yielding a big pack and two other medium-sized packs of shabu in another buy-bust operation at past 1 pm last Saturday.

Caja was also seized with several empty packs believed to be supposedly used in repacking the illegal drugs.

The jobless suspect is now detained and will be facing charges for illegal drug possession tomorrow. —/JPM (FREEMAN)