Suspected Dumanjug druglord: Town market exec nabbed in drug raid

CEBU, Philippines - Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 agents yesterday arrested the market administrator of Dumanjug town, whom authorities said was a suspected druglord, during a raid at his Barangay Cogon compound allegedly used as a drug den.

PDEA-7 Director Esperidion Javier led the operation at around 10 a.m. that resulted to the arrest of 60-year-old Jose Perfecto Amadora along with Lover John Castro, 20; Michael Piega, 40; Ronilo Miquezo, 33; and Emilio Sabino, 33, all of Dumanjug town.

The PDEA-7 operatives were armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Cebu City Branch 19 Judge Wilfredo Navarro on May 2, 2014.

Among those recovered during the operation were 20 medium-sized packs of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, a digital weighing scale, drug sniffing paraphernalia, and two .45 pistols inside the house of Amadora.  With each of the packs weighing five grams, the drugs were estimated to be worth at least P300,000.

Javier said it took them eight months of surveillance and case study of the area, where Amadora allegedly maintained the “biggest drug den” before they managed to nail him.

Javier described Amadora as one of the biggest personalities who distribute illegal substances in the municipality and other areas Dumanjug and in nearby Negros Oriental province

“Kung walang case study, mahirap, malaki ang distribution area,” he said.

Amadora’s compound was like a farmhouse fenced with barbed wires and planted with mango trees and other plants. It has a piggery, a tree house, and at least three hideouts under the bushes that authorities believed to be drug dens, as they were where Castro, Piega, Miquizo, and Sabino, and the four persons were caught sniffing shabu.

The operatives also noticed some devices, including closed-circuit television cameras, installed around the premises to detect intruders.

In an interview, Amadora denied being a druglord, even when he admitted owning the two guns, which he said were licensed as he was a gun club member.

He claimed being a victim in the crossfire in the political squabble between Mayor Nelson Garcia and Vice Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica.

Amadora is reportedly identified with the Garcias and served as market administrator since 2010.

He alleged that the seized illegal drugs and drug sniffing paraphernalia seized were all “planted” by the raiding PDEA operatives.

“Sakit kaayo ning ilang gibuhat.  Sama ra nga ila kong gipatay (This is very hurting. It is like they already killed me),”Amadora lamented.

He said he just went home from the market to get the phone bills to be paid when the PDEA men swooped down on him.

Acting Mayor Gica confirmed Amadora is the municipal government market administrator and is receiving P15,000 in monthly salary.

Gica thanked PDEA in catching Amadora and expressed hope for other druglords to be arrested soon.

Suspended Mayor Garcia, on the other hand, congratulated PDEA for the arrest, if ever the allegation was true and the operation was done in good faith.

“Tarung man ni siya,  rumors gikan ra sad sa side ni Gica. Wa kaayo ko motuo ana. Hinaut nga kini tanan, if proven true, wa tay mahimo,” Garcia said.

Garcia said that during his term, he has been asking authorities to do their job in curbing illegal drugs in his town.

Insp. Wilter Grapa, Dumanjug Police station chief, said PDEA agents have coordinated with their office in the operation.

“Dili kaayo makita ang ilang (We could barely notice the) the drug den.  Kadtong mga kubo-kubo kay natago ilawom sa mga kahoy. pero nalibutan naman gyud sila (The huts where hidden under the trees. But we already managed to surround them all),” he said.

The suspects are now under the custody of PDEA-7 while waiting for the filing of appropriate charges against them.—Jojo C. Ugdol of Banat News/RHM (FREEMAN)