P500T shabu seized in Dumaguete City

CEBU, Philippines — Illegal drugs worth more than P500,000 was recovered and confiscated during a One Time Big Time operation in three separate anti-drugs operations in Sitio Canday-ong, Calindagan, Dumaguete City this morning involving high-value targets in the campaign against illegal drugs.

A composite team from the Dumaguete City Police, the Provincial Intelligence Branch-Special Operations Group, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Highway Patrol Group, and the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office served two search warrants, first at the house of Romulo “Molong” Acas where another suspect was inside identified as a certain Julius Cuevas, and the second search warrant was issued against Gejer Enfestan Pinero, alias “Jaguar,” of Purok Maanyag of same barangay.

Dumaguete City PNP chief Superintendent Jonathan Pineda said the plan was to seal off all entry and exit points of Sitio Canday-ong for a saturation drive. After serving the first search warrant and securing the place, the next warrant was served in the other side, while a buy-bust operation was conducted in Purok Mutya of the same sitio at the same time.

Recovered from Acas and Cuevas were six transparent plastic sachets believed to contain shabu worth P23,600, cellphones, disposable lighters, tinfoil, and bank deposit slips addressed to suspected drug personalities with amounts ranging from P10,000 to P50,000. It was noted in one of the receipts that the addressee is also a resident of Dumaguete. PDEA agent Phil Tangeres said this is alarming because the amounts involved are regularly sent through the banks and indicate that drugs is coming in despite of the government’s all-out campaign.

Meanwhile, an estimated 35 grams of shabu worth P413,000 was recovered during the search at the residence of Pinero placed in 26 plastic sachets, including one big pack and seven other packs.

Also recovered was a homemade .38 cal. revolver with four live rounds and drug paraphernalia including a digital weighing scale, tinfoil, disposable lighters, an improvised burner, and P6,970 cash believed to be drug money. Pineda said Pinero could be the first violator of the gun ban in Dumaguete City.

In an interview, the suspect denied ownership of the confiscated items and said a certain “Joseph” planted the evidences recovered because he was in the house previous to the serving of the search warrant.

Meanwhile, Eric Miral, 41, a resident of Purok Camia, Canday-ong yielded seven sachets of shabu estimated at P70,800 during a buy-bust operation in Purok Mutya. Also recovered from his possession was the P500 marked money and one cellphone. PIB-SOG team leader Inspector Allen June Germodo considered Miral as a high-value target.

While anti-drugs operations were simultaneously conducted in Sitio Canday-ong, the team of HPG provincial team leader Senior Inspector Robelito Mariano did their role in checking motorcycles going out of the area, which resulted in the apprehension of nine motorists driving without licenses or driving vehicles without registration papers.

Mariano said that since the start of the Commission on Elections checkpoints, the HPG has impounded 27 motorcycles and confiscated 16 driver’s licenses in line with Oplan Disiplinadong Driver.

Pineda said they flagged down more than 50 motorcycles for various violations during the start of the Comelec gun ban last Saturday and another 66 the other day. He said with or without the Comelec checkpoints, the city police is regularly and randomly conducting checkpoints in different parts of the city. (FREEMAN)