Nine others also nabbed: Pasil resident falls with P500T ‘illegal drugs’

CEBU, Philippines - A 30-year-old resident of Sitio Lawis, Pasil, Cebu City was arrested yesterday afternoon after he yielded P500,000 worth of illegal drugs during a buy-bust operation inside a hotel.

He was one of 10 persons the police arrested in relation to the anti-drug campaign of the Cebu police.

The Regional Drug Enforcement Unit of the Police Regional Office-7 said Anthony Tampus had with him 61 small plastic packs and four medium packs worth of suspected shabu P500,000 when arrested.

DEU’s Senior Inspector Ian Macatangay said they launched the operation around 2:45 p.m. on Tampus after receiving reports that he has been staying in a hotel in Barangay Pahina Central for two months already allegedly to sell shabu.

The suspect, Macatangay said, would just go home in Pasil to get his illegal drugs supply.

In coordination with Carbon Police Station, the PRO-7 operatives conducted the buy-bust.

Macatangay said Tampus, who is detained at the Carbon Police Station, will be slapped with a criminal complaint for Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).

Meanwhile, also yesterday afternoon, a bigtime drug personality in Toledo City was arrested in another buy-bust operation by the city police in Sitio Looc, Barangay Bato.

Mark Joseph Sipalay, 27, of Sitio Tugas, Barangay Ibo, Toledo, yielded four medium packs of suspected shabu amounting to P150,000 during the operation.

Police Officer 3 Leonides Leduna of Toledo City Police station said that they were already monitoring Sipalay’s activities since his “surrender” last year during their Oplan Tokhang.

“On and off man gud ni iyang duwa.  Marunong ni siya.  Usahay naa usahay wala. Kagahapon na-trap na gyud,” Leduna said.

He also said that Sipalay could dispose of 30 to 50 grams of suspected shabu weekly.

Allegedly, the suspect operates in barangays Poblacion, Ibo, and Bato in Toledo.

Charmagne Agraviador, 32, of Barangay Cabitoonan and an alleged cohort of Sipalay was also arrested in the operation.

The police said Agraviador had with him a small pack of suspected shabu and paraphernalia used in sniffing drugs.

In Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City also yesterday afternoon, the police arrested Yves Berdin, 18, of Sitio Radar, Barangay Babag; his live-in-partner Honeylyn Zoilo, 20, of Barangay Looc; Mercy Mancera, 18, of Sitio Sangi, Barangay Pajo, all of Lapu-Lapu City; and Romeo Dutallas, 21, of Barangay Labangon, Cebu City; and Jay Montebon, 29, also of Cebu City in another buy-bust operation inside a motel.

Senior Inspector Felix Cleopas, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Station 3 police chief, said they received report on the illegal activities of the four inside a motel so they conducted a surveillance.

 He said the group will rent a room inside a motel for its illegal drug transaction.

"Dili man dayon mamatikdan nga naa silay laing tuyo ilabi na nga aduna silay kuyog nga babaye sa pagtuo nga mag-short time sila," Cleopas said.

After validating the information, Cleopas and his men set up the entrapment. He said Berdin and Zoilo and alleged drug runner Montebon were arrested in one room. Berdin, Cleopas said, is a former “surrenderer” of Station 3’s Oplan Tokhang.

The station chief said they found Dutallas and Mancera in another room, where they seized illegal drugs worth P148,000.

The suspects will be facing a criminal complaint for violating Section 11 (possession of dangerous drugs), Article II of RA 9165.

 Also, “notorious drug personality” Luche Cabillar, 37, was arrested last Tuesday at her place in Sitio Abuno, Barangay Tunghaan, Minglanilla by virtue of bench warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Jacinto Fajardo Jr.

Superintendent Dexter Calacar, Minglanilla police chief, said Cabillar was arrested also last year for possession of illegal drugs but managed to post bail.

He, however, did not attend any court hearings on the complaint filed against her, prompting the court to issue a bench warrant.

Calacar said Cabillar claimed he did not receive any notice from the court for him to attend any hearing.

Cabillar, who is currently detained at the station, said he would file a motion for him to be granted bail.

Also, around 7:15 p.m. last Tuesday, “drug personality” Jerry Capute, 40, a resident of Barangay Lawaan, Danao City, was arrested by Danao City police in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Lawaan, Danao.

The police said Capute was under surveillance for 10 days before he become the subject of Tuesday night’s entrapment operation

The police said Capute is a newly-identified street level drug personality and was not an Oplan Tokhang surrenderer.

Senior Police Officer 1 Marlon Remollo said Capute was in their March watchlist of drug personalities and that the suspect can dispose of five to 10 grams of suspected shabu per week in Lawaan.

Investigation also showed that Capute's shabu supplier is someone based in Consolacion, Cebu.

Capute yielded 30 small sachets of suspected shabu, P800 cash believed to be proceeds from his illegal drug trade, a .357 revolver with three bullets, and the P200 buy-bust money.

The confiscated sachets of shabu weighed an estimated 1.55 grams and were valued at P18,290. — Christell Fatima M. Tudtud, Ermida Q. Moradas, Iris Mariani B. Algabre, Garry B. Lao, and Maria Yula M. Pasaol (FREEMAN)