3 ‘pushers’ fall in buy bust

CEBU, Philippines - Three alleged drug pushers were arrested and almost P100,000 worth of shabu was seized in separate buy bust operations conducted by the operatives of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (PAIDSOTG) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 Thursday.

Two big time drug pushers were arrested by the operatives of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (PAIDSOTG) in Barangay Pundol, Balamban.

Subject of the operation were Jackie “Bunog” Gilamon, 37, who is in the priority list of illegal drugs personalities of the Provincial Intelligence Branch, and his cohort, Paul Lester Salazar, 32. They were collared at past 6 p.m.

Confiscated from them was 11 large packs of shabu to worth P55,000, a transparent plastic container, a digital weighing scale, a .45 Colt M1911 pistol with magazine loaded with six bullets and a holster as well as the buy bust money.

The drugs confiscated were taken to the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory-7 for chemical analysis while the pistol was also submitted for ballistics examination.

Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said that the   suspects are members of a big group operating not only in Balamban but also in Toledo City and Asturias.Concerned citizens reported to the police the illegal activities of the suspects that prompted PAIDSOTG to conduct a surveillance.

Right after the poseur buyer handed the marked money in exchange of one large packet of shabu to Salazar, the operatives immediately arrested him

Gilamon was allegedly the one who gave the pack of shabu to the police decoy.

PO3 Roderick Balili, of the PIB, said the pistol was confiscated from Gilamon.

Charges for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspects while a separate case of illegal possession of firearms will be filed against Gilamon.

Suspects are now detained at the Consolacion stockade.

At around 2 p.m. also last Thursday, a member of a group dealing illegal drugs from Ozamis City was arrested by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 in Sitio Seaside, Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City.

Ramil Ybañez, 46, who was in the watchlist since 2000 and a known member of the Colango Group.

He allegedly handed to a police decoy one large pack of shabu in exchange for P25,000 that resulted in his arrest.

The PDEA-7 has proper charges against Ybañez who is detained at the PDEA-7 stockade.  (FREEMAN)