Several persons fall for drugs in 3 cities

CEBU, Philippines - Separate Easter Sunday anti-illegal drug operations led to the arrest of three targets in the cities of Cebu and Danao.

Chief Inspector Christopher Navida of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) and the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) arrested a 28-year-old jobless person with more than P100,000 worth of shabu Sunday afternoon during a roving patrol in Sitio Mayflower, Barangay Duljo-Fatima, Cebu City.

Suspect Teofilo Rafols was caught red-handed with 34 small pieces and two medium sachets of suspected shabu with a total weight of nine grams and was valued at P106,200.

According to Navida, the suspect is an old player in the drug business and had only been caught once because of his uncanny ways in dispatching drug supplies in the surrounding barangays of Duljo-Fatima.

Rafols is also a part of CIB’s drug watchlist and was previously reported by the barangay captain for continuing his drug business despite being included on the list.

The pieces of evidence recovered from Rafols had been transferred to Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory for proper evidence tracking while the suspect is temporarily detained pending the filing of appropriate charges in violation to Republic Act 9165 or Dangerous Drug Act of 2002.

On the same day, at least P143,960 worth of shabu was seized by operatives of the Danao City Police Station in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Taytay, Danao City.

Prior to the operation, the Danao City police received information that Angelyn Perez, a resident of Manghilao, Danao City, was engaged in illegal drugs activities.

Perez, 26, and her alleged cohort, Jomari Miro, 37, a resident of Taboc, Poblacion, Danao City, were arrested during the buy-bust operation at around 2:50 p.m. last Sunday.

Recovered from Perez’s possession were 50 pieces of small plastic sachets believed to be shabu weighing two grams, two pieces of medium plastic sachets weighing 10 grams, P1,350 believed to be their proceeds, and P200 as buy-bust money.

The police seized five pieces of plastic sachets believed to be shabu weighing .20 grams from Miro.

In Lapu-Lapu City, the police in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested two persons in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City yesterday morning.

Those arrested were identified as Romulo Carungay, 28, of Pag-utlan, Barangay Maribago, and Hermesa Malingin, 30, of Soong I, Barangay Mactan.

Police Chief Inspector  Jaime Tolentino, who heads the LCPO-Station 3, said the operation was conducted after they received information through a telephone call from a concerned citizen informing them that Carungay was engaged in an illegal drug trade activity.

Tolentino said they then conducted a buy-bust operation, in which the suspects handed one small plastic sachet containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu in exchange for P200.

When the item was turned over to the police poseur-buyer, an immediate arrest was conducted.

Confiscated from the suspects’ possession were 11 pieces of small heat sealed transparent plastic sachet of suspected shabu and a disposable lighter. The police also recovered from Malingin P200 believed to be proceeds from their illegal drug trade activity.

All confiscated suspected shabu has an estimated weight of 1.08 grams and more or less with P12,744 Dangerous Drug Board value. — Mae Clydyl L. Avila, Mylen P. Manto, Garry B. Lao (FREEMAN)