15 nabbed, over P600T drugs seized

CEBU, Philippines - Fifteen drug personalities were arrested and illegal drugs worth P627,159 were seized in simultaneous anti-illegal drug operations conducted in Danao City on Thursday dawn as part of the city’s ‘Oplan Limpyo Danao’ program.

Buy-bust operations were conducted in the barangays of Looc, Poblacion, Maslog, and Dunggo-an.

Apprehended for selling drugs in Barangay Looc were Andreo Murillo Albios, 48, jobless; Nikki Yap Beduya, 21, jobless; and Aireen Laguna Roble, 39.

In Barangay Poblacion, arrested were Jorlan Manggas Miao, 28, jobless and his cohort Celso Beduya Manggas, 52, jobless. Fermin Manulat Cañedo, 28, jobless, was arrested in Barangay Dunggo-an, while Rolly Oliver Calderon, 37, and Juliever Juntilla Aguilar, 27, were arrested in Barangay Maslog.

Also in Barangay Maslog, two alleged drug pushers, John Michael Gica, 30, and Mark Anthony Quiros Cainilla, 24, sustained gunshot wounds after they attempted to draw their weapons against police operatives.

Señor Police Officer 1 Arnold Labini said that Gica and Cainilla detected that they were transacting with a police poseur-buyer and attempted to draw their firearms. The operative, Police Office 2 Francis Hermita, immediately drew his own weapon and fired at the suspects, hitting them in the legs.

“Ilang namatikdan nga police diay ilang ka transaction mao to sila ni-ibot sa ilang armas, mao tong giunhan sila’g pusil,” said Labini.

The wounds were not fatal and the suspects were brought to the hospital for treatment.

Additionally, when operatives went inside Gica and Cainilla’s house, they found a .357 caliber revolver and several empty shells of ammunition from different firearms. Police also found two pieces medium and 19 small sachets presumed to contain shabu.

Five others, including two teenagers, were caught using shabu in Barangay Maslog. Also arrested were Franklin Cohitmingao Gica, 26, Gladys Hermosilla Macalolo-oy, 33, and Rufil Olivar Calderon, 39.

In Cebu City

In Cebu City, police seized almost P300,000 worth of illegal drugs during a buy-bust operation conducted Wednesday past 10 p.m. along Second Street in Barangay Duljo Fatima.

In an operation, operatives from the Cebu City Intelligence Branch (CIB) arrested Faith Gadiane, 31, jobless and a resident of Spolarium Street Barangay Duljo Fatima.

Gadiane, considered a level-one drug pusher and high-value target, later admitted she had ties to slain drug lord Jeffrey ‘Jaguar’ Diaz.

Chief Inspector Christopher Navida, Chief of CIB, said the suspect did not attempt to resist arrest.

Police recovered from Gadiane one large pack and six small packs of suspected shabu with a total weight of 25.4 grams worth P297,832, and cash amounting to P700 believed to be proceeds from the illegal drug trade.

Navida said the suspect admitted she used to be a drug courier for Jaguar.

He said that the suspect used to smuggle drugs from Manila to Cebu and vice versa and that she can dispose of 50-70 grams or about P800,000 worth of illegal drugs per week.

In Talisay City

In Talisay City, an alleged pusher was arrested while another escaped during a buy-bust operation conducted by Talisay City police operatives at Sitio Rojaluca, Barangay Poblacion last Wednesday.

Noe Eben, 28, a resident of Barangay Jaclupan was arrested while his cohort and the subject of the operation, Jairus “Jai-jai” Austria, a resident of Sitio Rojaluca, eluded arrest.

Austria transacted with a police operative and sold one small sachet of suspected shabu in exchange for P200. But when he sensed he was transacting with a police officer, Austria immediately escaped.

Eben was arrested and 35 small triangular packs of suspected shabu were seized from his possession. All the suspected drugs recovered weighed a total of 2.16 grams and valued at P7,344.

Eben is now detained at the Talisay City Police Station pending filing of appropriate charges. —Mary Ferchel B. Cui, USJ-R Intern, Mae Clydyl L. Avila, and Amparo Leah A. Pagusara (FREEMAN)