In buy-bust operations in Cebu more shabu confiscated

CEBU, Philippines —  Following successful anti-drugs operation in the province the past weeks, police took into custody illegal drugs worth a total of over P33 million confiscated during separate operations in Cebu City and Danao City last Friday.

In Cebu City, shabu worth almost P32 million was confiscated from 20-year-old Raven Gonza during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City Friday night.

Gonza is a resident of Barangay Duljo Fatima.

Police confiscated from him four large packs and 18 medium packs of shabu weighing a total of 4.6 kilos of shabu worth P31,280,000.

Police found the packs of shabu inside a blue backpack Gonza was bringing.

Gonza, however, denied he was in possession of the shabu and said he did not know where they came from.

The operation was carried out by the Mambaling police headed by Police Senior Insp. Francis Renz Talosig in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency - 7.

Talosig said the buy-bust operation Friday was an offshoot of surveillance on Gonza after they received information of the suspect’s involvement in the drug trade.

Talosig said Gonza is not in their watch list because he is reportedly new in the trade.

Even the barangay captain of Duljo Fatima, Elmer Abella, said he has not heard of Gonza’s name as a bigtime pusher but there were reportedly talks that he was selling drugs in very small amounts.

Police are now investigating where he sourced his supply of drugs and who he worked with.

As of yesterday, the police had no information whether or not Gonza was a supplier of Jocelyn Encila who was arrested in Consolacion town with 10 kilos of shabu.

Meanwhile, yesterday dawn, authorities also scored in a buy bust operation with the arrest of Arturo Cañete Mori, 36, in Barangay Punta Princesa, also in Cebu City.

Authorities confiscated from him a small sachet, six medium packs, and three large packs of shabu worth P680,000.

Punta Princesa Police chief Keith Andaya said Mori pointed to Gonza as his source of shabu during interrogation.

Mori, however, reportedly does not know where Gonza sourced his supply of the drugs.

A follow-up investigation was planned only that Gonza was already arrested even before Mori was.

"Naa silay contact  sa Mambaling… source to niya… yang gitug-an pag tactical interrogation… mo-conduct ta mi og laing buy bust, follow up operation ba pero nadakpan na man diay (He (Mori) said during tactical interrogation that his source was in Mambaling… we wanted to conduct another buy-bust, follow up operation but we learned Gonza has already been arrested)," Andaya said.

The Punta Princesa police hatched the buy-bust operation on Mori after a month of surveillance.

Further up north of the province in Danao City, authorities seized a large pack of shabu and two medium packs weighing 105 grams and worth P714,000.

The packs of shabu came from Jame Dagatan, 27, and Junrey Formentera, 31, who were arrested during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Guinsay.

Also in Danao, authorities arrested a certain Joseph Gonzales, 29, and confiscated from him two medium packs of shabu worth P68,000. —  JMO (FREEMAN)