‘Big-time drug dealers’ nabbed, P3.7 million shabu seized

CEBU, Philippines —  Four drug suspects, including three high-value individuals (HVI), were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in Cebu City Tuesday afternoon, resulting in the seizure of shabu worth around P3.7 million.

Nabbed were Reuel Gacrama III, 35, a resident of T. Padilla; Edna Abarquez, 40, of Sitio Tagunol, Basak Pardo; and Marisa Abellanosa, 25, a resident of Sitio Galili, Barangay Duljo Fatima.

Gacrama was arrested by members of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) of the Police Regional Office in Barangay Kamagayan. Seized from him were 400 grams of shabu worth P2.7 million.

The drugs were reportedly placed inside an empty bag of chips.

In a separate operation in Sitio Tagunol, authorities also arrested Abarquez and her cohort, Abellanosa.

Abarquez was included in PRO-7’s top 10 priority HVI list for illegal drug trading.

Recovered from Abarquez and Abellanosa were 116.52 grams of shabu worth P792,336.

RDEU-7 also arrested 25-year-old John Abellanosa in a drug bust at Ybañez Compound in Barangay Mambaling.

John, a resident of Barangay Duljo Fatima, was caught with 30.2 grams of shabu with an estimated value of P205,360.

Police Major Glen Hife, RDEU-7 chief, the suspects were “not connected” and have different sources of illegal drugs.

“The arrested individuals were considered as big players in the illegal drug trading,” he said.

The suspects’ areas of operations included Barangay Mambaling and other areas in Cebu City, and villages in Lapu-Lapu City. — KQD (FREEMAN)