Police begin hunt for Luzon supplier of P6M illegal drugs

CEBU, Philippines - The police are tracking down the supplier of an alleged big time drug pusher arrested Wednesday afternoon by using the documents seized from him along with the P6 million worth of suspected shabu.

Cebu City Intelligence Branch operatives apprehended Joseph Erson Opena, 21, in a buy-bust operation in his rented house along Magsaysay Street, Barangay Suba after he handed a big pack of suspected shabu worth P12,000 to a police poseur-buyer.

Upon searching Opena’s room, the police reco-vered five large packs of suspected shabu, several smaller packs of suspected shabu, and P17,240 cash believed to be proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs.

Several deposit slips and receipts showing transactions ranging from P150,000 to P400,000 and issued by money remittance centers were also confiscated from him.

Cebu City Police Office Director Noli Romana said they are now tracing the paper and money trails leading to Opena to determine the mode of transport in bringing the illegal drugs from Metro Manila and to get a lead on the method of distribution.

“Pinaka-importante ang paper trail. Doon natin malalaman saan nanggagaling, saan dine-deposit at anong mga companies ang ginagamit,” he said.

He said they believe that Opena’s source was from Metro Manila.

Romana said that Opena could be considered as a bigtime level 2 drug pusher, taking into account the size of the plastic packaging of the illegal drugs. Each pack of the suspected shabu seized from the 21-year-old was similar to that used in packing “ice water.”

“We also assume na yung kanyang distribution para din dun sa mga areas doon,” the city police director said.

San Nicolas Police Station Chief Chuck Barandog also said that Opena’s was a big blow to the illegal drug trade in Suba and in the city.

Romana further noted that Opena’s illegal activity could be related to that of alleged drug pusher Jaime “Amahan” dela Peña from Barangay Sambag II, Cebu City since the police also found baby diapers in Opena’s house.

Last October 24, the police raided dela Peña’s house and found seven packs of suspected shabu wrapped inside a baby diaper. The illegal drugs were estimated to have an estimated street value of P105,000.

Romana said around 2.5 to 5 grams per sachet of illegal drugs could be hidden inside one baby diaper.

Dela Peña managed to escape the raiding team by jumping into the nearby Guadalupe river. However, dela Peña’s brother Dante and two other teenagers, including Dante’s son, were arrested after they yielded drug-sniffing paraphernalia, such as improvised heaters and tooters.

Yesterday, Romana lauded the community’s active participation in the anti-drug campaign, as Opena’s arrest was triggered by a concerned citizen informing authorities about the suspect’s illegal activities.

“Without the community, hindi magagawa ang mga accomplishments na ito. Although the police are the one implementing the neutralization, the information about the illegal activities in the area are given by the citizens, thus launching the surveillance operations which then leads to the arrest of the drug personalities,” Romana said.

He considered Opena’s capture was one of the biggest and most successful drug operation conducted under his term as city police director.

Chief Superintendent Prudencio Tom Bañas, Police Regional Office-7 director, likewise thanked the community for the trust and support given to the policemen.

“As per feedback from our regional advisory council, we are winning the hearts and minds of our community. We are gaining back their trust and that is our ultimate objective,” he said.

He encouraged the public to continue cooperating with police authorities, especially on their fight against illegal drugs. — /RHM (FREEMAN)