Shabu worth P6M seized

CEBU, Philippines - The port police were able to confiscate over P6 million worth of drugs from a passenger who was allegedly trying to smuggle the drugs inside a paper bag to Bohol via ferry last Friday night.

Lean Criston Artiaga, 26, was arrested after the x-ray machine operator noticed drugs inside the paper bag at Pier 1, Cebu City, during inspection.

Inspector Joffery Rossel of the port police said that the suspect was first seen by the x-ray machine operator holding the paper bag but did not place it on the machine for inspection.

“Kanang suspek nisulod na siya sa terminal one, pagsulod ana niya gibitbit ra na niya wala na niya gibutang sa x-ray machine ang iyang gamit,” Rossel said.

When he was asked by the x-ray machine frisker what was in the paper bag he went away.

“So gisita siya sa x-ray frisker nato, ‘sir unsa may sulod ani?’ Hesitant siya mosulod nibalik siya og gawas mao to nagduda atong machine operator ngano’ng nigawas,” Rossel added.

The operator grew suspicious why he walked away so he followed him and asked the help of other personnel to escort Artiaga to Rossel’s office.

“Ilang gipaadto sa opisina, ilang gi-query ngano’ng dili siya magpa-frisk. Mao to pag-abot nako ako siyang giingnan nga ‘ikaw sir kung dili gyud ka magpa-frisk, i-deny entry ka nako, pero og molarga gyud ka willing gyud ka nga ibutang didto sa x-ray machine ang imong gamit’,” Rossel said.

Artiaga said he was willing and so he was escorted back to the x-ray machine. It was during the scan when the operator found out there was drugs in the paper bag. Rossel looked inside the bag and saw two packs of suspected shabu inside.

“Nitan-aw ko sa monitor sa x-ray machine, ni-ana ang nag-monitor didto nga ‘sir positive naay drugs.’ Mao to akong gikuha naa siya sa atubangan, so mao to sa sulod akong nakita ang shabu,” he said.

One pack was a medium-sized pack while the other was bigger pack later found to contain 500 grams of suspected drugs.

Rossel said the bigger pack would cost no less than P2 million; however the Dangerous Drugs Board estimates the value of a 500-gram pack of shabu at P5.9 million.

The suspect, who was interviewed by the media, said he had no knowledge of the confiscated drugs and declined to comment further.

Rossel said that the suspect is currently detained at the Port Police stockade and is set to face charges on Monday for violation of Section 5, Article 2, of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. 

Meanwhile, Alvin Tilos, 44, was apprehended in his house in Sitio Nazareth, Barangay Buhisan, Cebu City, Thursday morning by virtue of search warrant issued by Judge Soliver Peras of the Regional Trial Court Branch 10, after police were able to confiscate a big pack of suspected shabu and sixteen medium-sized packs of suspected shabu.

Tilos is now detained at the Punta Police Station.

In a separate incident, Edmun Pasco, 28, and his wife, Jenny, 28, were arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted around 8:30 p.m. last Thursday at Purok Mahogany, Sitio Tabay, Barangay Tayud, Liloan town, Cebu.

The police received information that the couple sold illegal drugs in the area.

Elements of Liloan Police Station seized two small packs of suspected shabu, three medium sachets of suspected shabu, a cellular phone, the P500 marked money and P1,400 cash believed to be drug money.

In the evening of the same day, Jesrel Presbitero, 19, was arrested in Barangay Poblacion, Sogod town, Cebu, after police recovered three small sachets of suspected shabu from his possession. He is now detained at Sogod Police Station. — with Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento/BRP (FREEMAN)