2 drug suspects fall in buy-bust

CEBU, Philippines — Two suspected drug peddlers were arrested Monday evening during a series of buy-bust operations conducted by the operatives of Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU)-7 in Sitio Phantom, Barangay Lorega-San Miguel and Visitacion Street in Barangay Sambag II, Cebu City.

Police identified the suspects as Reynaldo Salazar Lambo, Jr., 31, alias “Renan” and Ricardo Alimpos Ortega, 55, alias “Boy Dragon”.

Lambo fell into the drag net in Lorega-San Miguel at 7:47 p.m. on Monday after he sold a pack of shabu to undercover police operative. He was also caught in possession of 50 grams of suspected shabu worth P340,000.  Ortega, on the other hand, was arrested in Visitacion Street in Sambag II at 10:15 p.m. on the same day also for selling illegal drugs. He was found in possession of 60 grams of shabu worth P408,000.

According to the police, Ortega had been in and out of jail since 2011 when he was first arrested for frustrated murder. He was released from jail in 2017 but went back to jail a year after for possession of Nubain, a regulated drug. He was released in 2019 only to be arrested again on the same year for illegal drugs where he stayed in jail until 2022.

With his recent arrest, Ortega will again go back to jail and face another case for violation of Section 5 and Section 11 of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. The same case will be filed against Lambo. — (FREEMAN)