Long-time drug personality falls

CEBU, Philippines - One of Talisay City's wanted drug personalities is now in police custody after he was arrested in a buy-bust operation Friday afternoon at Sitio SDA, Lagtang, Talisay.

After months of doing several surveillance activities against the subject, the police finally arrested Ronald "Jojo" Lacson, 47, a resident of Ming Court, in Barangay Bulacao. 

Recovered from Lacson's possession were 21 packs of suspected shabu, the P200 marked money, one digital weighing scale, one improvised shotgun locally known as pugakhang, an S&W 357 revolver with two live bullets.

His companion Jerry Sioco, 47, a resident of Sitio Villa Estellita, Barangay Bulacao, was also arrested in the said operation.

Confiscated from him was a pack of suspected shabu weighing 25 grams and has a street value of P275,000.

Police Officer 3 Erwin Carbonquillo of the Talisay Police Station said that an informant tipped them of Lacson's ongoing drug trade in their area.

Carbonquillo said Lacson's name is also regularly mentioned during interrogations of suspects previously arrested for drugs.  Lacson reportedly is the source of drugs in Barangay Bulacao.

However, due to the continuous operations and intensified campaign against illegal drugs in Bulacao, Lacson reportedly transferred his area of operation and started disposing of illegal drugs in Lagtang, Talisay instead.

In coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7, operatives of the Talisay City Police Office conducted a buy-bust operation against Lacson last Friday which led to the arrest of the subject and his companion.

The police are now preparing the documents and pieces of evidence for the filing of the criminal complaint with the city prosecutor's office against Lacson and Sioco. (FREEMAN)