Porter, habal-habal driver nabbed in drug buy-bust

CEBU, Philippines — Around P25,000 worth of suspected shabu was confiscated from two drug suspects during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pasil Saturday evening.

The police identified the suspects as Gerome Mosqueda Donal, 37, a habal-habal driver; and Popet Soñer Llanto, 24, a porter at the Pasil Fish Port.  Both are residents of Magsaysay St., Barangay Pasil, Cebu City.

The police, together with members of the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), conducted a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pasil as a follow-up operation after a previous successful operation in the area.

The two newly-identified drug suspects were arrested for alleged possession of suspected shabu that weighed 2.16 grams worth P25,488.

The two were identified as street-level targets.

“Actually, street level ra sila so depende ra man gud sa ilang mga customer,” Chief Inspector Allan Rosario of the Sawang Police Station told The FREEMAN in a phone interview.

“Kasagaran sa mga customer nila kay mga kaila nila or gi-endorse sa kaila nila. Di man sila mo-kompyansa kay kabalo sila na intensified ang operation sa illegal (drugs),” Rosario added.

The police seized from Donal one small pack of suspected shabu believed to be the item used in the buy-bust and two P100 bills believed to be the buy-bust money.

Donal also had in his possession one metallic case containing 25 small sachets of suspected shabu. The police also confiscated P600 from him believed to be the proceeds of his illegal drug trade.

The police confiscated one small pack of suspected shabu from Llanto.

A member of the DEU was the poseur buyer during the buy-bust operation which led to the arrest of the two suspects.

The suspects did not resist arrest when the operatives introduced themselves as police officers.

The suspects are now detained at the Sawang Police Station pending the filing of the charges for selling and possession of illegal drugs.  (FREEMAN)