DUMAGUETE CITY — More than P300,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in a buy-bust operation Wednesday morning in Barangay Tinago of this city from a drug suspect, whose brother is a councilman of the same barangay.
Senior Inspector Don Richmon Conag, chief of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO), identified the suspect as 31-year-old Leovan Rechie Chiu, aka "Bansoy."
Chiu's younger brother, Francis, is an incumbent councilman of Barangay Tinago.
Asked why Leovan continued to be allegedly involved in the drug trade despite his brother's position, Conag said the latter apparently could not control the suspect from selling drugs, maybe because of their age difference.
"Hindi na makontrol. Ganoon talaga, kasi yung ibang pusher, user din. Ang utak ng user kasi mahirap nang kontrolin. Kaya maraming pamilya ang nasisira gawa ng shabu. As much as gustuhin man ng kagawad na kontrolin, eh kuya niya po kasi yung subject," Conag told The FREEMAN in a phone interview.
Leovan was arrested outside his house in Tinago, where he was caught in the act of selling shabu to a police officer who posed as a buyer.
Seized from the arrested Leovan were 10 packs and sachets of shabu, weighing a total of about 25 grams with an estimated street value of P300,000. Also recovered from him were a P1,000 bill, which was used as the drug-bust money, and a reportedly unlicensed .22-caliber revolver with four live bullets.
Conag added that they have been monitoring Leovan and his cohorts for some time now, noting that the suspect is an alleged “consignee” of shabu from a higher drug personality.
“‘Yung sistema kasi ngayon, may tumatawag sa mga player. Ang mga big-time (drug personalities), pinapa-consign nila (‘yung droga) sa mga nasa baba; sila yung pinapalaro nila. Consignment basis yun,” he said.
Conag also noted that since these personalities know the police are monitoring them, they rotate their consignments to various places to mislead authorities.
Leovan is now detained at the lock-up cell of the Dumaguete City Police Station. Drug charges, along with a complaint for illegal possession of firearms, are set to be filed against him.