Drug suspect eludes police operation

CEBU, Philippines - An alleged member of the group of suspected drug Lord Franz Sabalones was lucky enough not to be home when Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) came to serve a search warrant against him in Mansueto Subdivision, Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City, around 7 p.m. Thursday evening.

Last March 31, Judge Wilfredo Fiel Navarro of Regional Trial Court Branch 19, issued a warrant of arrest against Manolito Censil for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

However, when RSOG personnel went to serve the warrant, the suspect was not home. During the operation, RSOG personnel recovered two medium packs of suspected shabu, a .45 cal. pistol, a .22 cal. revolver, a hand grenade, six live rounds, bonnets, and camouflage pants.

Police Regional Office-7 Director Noli Taliño said there are intelligence reports that members of the Sabalones group are selling drugs in Talisay.

“May mga intelligence information tayo na nagpapatunay na may gumagalaw pa rin. Kaya itong mga kapulisan natin ay mahigpit ang ating instruction na continuous ang monitoring operation against illegal drugs personalities,” Taliño said.

Drug den raided

In Cebu City, four drug personalities were arrested by personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 in a buy-bust operation in Sitio Villagonzalo 2, Barangay Tejero.

The subject of the operation was Michael Engana, 31, an alleged drug den maintainer, who was placed under surveillance two weeks before the operation.

Engana was arrested together with Marivic Pumar, 46; Dennis Gonzaga 36; Roberto Vidal, 35; and Rosario Rivera, 25, all residents of the place.

PDEA personnel seized suspected shabu weighing 60.36 grams and estimated at P220,500, drug paraphernalia, and the P500 used as buy-bust money

“Colonel” indicted

A former inspector of the Surigao City Bureau of Customs is facing charges before the court for allegedly posing as a colonel and being found with suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Last March 7, Gregorio Laurente, 43, a resident of Surigao City, went to the office of the PDEA-7 and demanded for the return of his firearm which was recovered from a certain Gerald Sineza in an anti-drugs operation in 2016.

Laurente allegedly arrogantly identified himself as a colonel, but when PDEA agents asked for identification documents, he only presented an expired firearm license to them. Laurente claimed that he pawned his firearm to Sineza.

When pressed to provide further identification, Laurente returned to his vehicle but was followed by agents Melvin Estoque and Jelou Anthony Paca.

Both agents said they saw a transparent sachet with traces of suspected shabu on the floor of Laurente’s vehicle. When they asked him why there were prohibited items inside his car, Laurente allegedly tried to start the engine but was restrained and arrested.

After searching his vehicle, PDEA agents found drug paraphernalia and suspected shabu weighing 12.01 grams.

Laurente denied the allegations against him, but prosecutor Rodulf Carrillo found sufficient evidence to indict Laurente of usurpation of authority or official functions, and violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. —Iris Mariani B. Algabre and Mylen P. Manto (FREEMAN)