PDEA-7 seizes P1.42M ‘shabu’ in buy-bust operations

CEBU, Philippines - Continuing on its recent string of successes in the anti-drug campaign, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 Thursday evening seized P1.4 million worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation in Sitio Paglaom, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.

It identified the suspect as Henry Tabalin, a resident of the place.

A surveillance operation was conducted prior to the arrest after authorities received information on Tabalin's alleged illegal drug activities.

He yielded 285 grams of suspected shabu worth P1.425 million, weighing scale, cellular phone, 15 empty plastic sachets, and the P2,000 buy-bust money.

Complaints of selling and possession of illegal drugs will be filed against Tabalin before the Prosecutor's Office on Monday

The drug haul has brought to at least P49 million worth of suspected shabu the PDEA-7 seized just this week.

Meanwhile, an alleged drug pusher was lucky to be alive after he allegedly tried to draw out a gun from his waist after sensing that he was transacting with a policeman during a buy-bust operation in District 5, Pulpogan, Consolacion, Cebu Thursday afternoon.

Another policeman who served as backup just shot him in the foot to immobilize him.

Consolacion police identified the suspect as Joey Marayan, 36, of Garing, Consolacion. Marayan is currently confined at the Mendero Medical Center in Pitogo, Consolacion for a gunshot wound to his left foot.

Senior Police Officer 2 Francisco Perez Jr. said that prior to the operation, they received information on Marayan's alleged illegal drugs activity.

When a subsequent surveillance operation confirmed that he was indeed involved in the illegal drug trade, members of the Consolacion's Municipal Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operation Task Group (MAIDSOTG) then conducted a buy-bust operation around 4:45 p.m.

After the transaction was completed, Marayan allegedly pulled out a gun after sensing that he was dealing with a policeman poseur-buyer.

Perez said the poseur-buyer's backup managed to fire first, hitting Marayan in his left foot. The policemen seized from Marayan a snub-nose .38 revolver with four bullets and five small plastic packs of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu. (FREEMAN)