Mining executive falls in P7-million cocaine buy-bust

MANILA, Philippines - Police arrested a president of a Samar-based mining firm during a buy-bust operation involving a kilo of cocaine with a street value of P7 million in Cebu yesterday.

The suspect, Ruselle Rosales, 36, a resident of Manglanilla, Cebu, did not resist arrest when elements of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) collared him at the parking lot of the Mango Park Hotel.

Senior Superintendent Jojo Acierto, AIDSOTF executive director, said his men confiscated from Rosales an identification card showing that he is the president of the 3 Kings Mining Corp. based in Samar.

Acierto said Rosales is cooperating fully in their effort to account for the remaining cocaine in his possession.

An informant approached Superintendent Ismael Fajardo, of the AIDSOTF’s special operations unit, two weeks ago, saying that Rosales was looking for a buyer for 10 kilos of cocaine in his possession.

In a meeting with the informant, Rosales demanded P700,000 for every kilo of cocaine.

In another meeting last week, Rosales reportedly showed the informant four kilos of cocaine and they agreed on how the illegal drug was to be delivered. The entrapment was promptly laid out thereafter.

During tactical interrogation, Rosales reportedly said the seized cocaine came from Samar.