‘Shabu queen,’ two others fall in Minglanilla drug raid

CEBU, Philippines - A woman whom authorities tagged as “shabu queen” and two others fell into the hands of the police yesterday during a raid by the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group with the help of the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Cebu Police Provincial Office.

More than P1 million worth of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu were also confiscated.

Senior Police Officer 4 Honorato Tano of RAIDSOTG-7 said the operation was launched after a month-long surveillance operation against Perlita Caballero and her niece Leonila.

Perlita, whom the police said was the “shabu queen” of Barangay Calajo-an, Minglanilla town, was caught during the implementation of the search warrant around 8 a.m. yesterday.

Leonila, however, got word about her aunt’s arrest and was able to escape before the police arrived in her house.

Carlito Reroma, Leonila’s r live-in partner, and Oliver Caballero, however, were arrested for drug and gun possession.   

Reroma was seen sleeping with a .45 pistol by his bedside while Caballero was likewise caught sleeping with a .357 revolver in his hand.

Aside from an electric heat sealer and 15 medium packs two small sachets of suspected shabu, the police also found inside Perlita’s house a box containing 36 bullets of a .45 pistol and 35 bullets of a 9mm pistol; a KG9 pistol with a magazine loaded with 29 bullets of a 9mm pistol.

The police also seized two medium packs and 11 small packs of suspected shabu and P380 believed to be proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs from inside Leonila’s house.

A medium pack of suspected shabu was each found in Caballero and Reroma’s possession.

The police said the total drug haul weighed 90 grams, which is valued at P1.062 million.

Asked to comment on her arrest, Perlita told the media that she would not issue any statement and that she would just let her lawyer answer the charges against her in court.

Oliver, on the other hand, admitted that he owned the gun and that he used to place it under his pillow when he sleeps at night. He, however, denied that the police confiscated illegal drugs from him when he was arrested.

“Ako man nang unlanan sir, pero wala ko makuhai og shabu, wa ko kahibawo asa na gikan,” he said.

Reroma, on the other hand, said the gun was just pawned to him and that he brought it with him for protection after he received threats.

Tano said Perlita is a level 2 drug pusher who can dispose of at least one kilo of shabu every week. She is allegedly considered the biggest player in Minglanilla town to earn the tag “shabu queen.”

He said Perlita’s live-in-partner is currently incarcerated at the New Bilibid Prisons in Manila for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.  — (FREEMAN)