P15.5M worth of shabu seized, 25 nabbed, 2 rescued

CEBU, Philippines — Police seized more than P500,000 worth of illegal drugs from two drug suspects in a buy bust operation in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City last Saturday evening.

The Drug Enforcement Unit of Mambaling Police Station led by Senior Inspector Francis Renz Talosig arrested Samuel Belarmino, 34, the subject of the operation and Pamela Gonzales, 43.

Talosig said the operation stemmed from information they received about the illegal operations of Belarmino. He was then subjected to surveillance for almost three weeks.

"Naa ta'y walk in informant niari sa atong station, then we validate the information. It came out na totoo yung info," said Talosig.

The two were newly identified drug personalities and were not included in the station's watchlist.

Seized from Belarmino were three large packs and one medium pack of shabu.

Police said Gonzales was caught in the act of discreetly dropping one coin purse which contains one medium pack of shabu which resulted in her arrest.

The confiscated illegal drugs weighed 85 grams with an estimated value of P578,000.

Belarmino denied the allegations against him and said he is not involved in any illegal activities and he is only working as a motorcycle driver and halo-halo vendor.

In Cebu City, 23 drug suspects were arrested in a series of buy bust operations which yielded more than P15 million worth of illegal drugs.

The largest drug haul was in Barangay Cogon, Cebu City wherein operatives seized around two kilos of shabu valued at P13.6 million.

Meanwhile, two minors were rescued by police during separate buy bust operations in Carmen, Cebu City last Saturday evening.

In Barangay Dawis Norte, a 15-year-old girl and a resident of the area was allegedly caught with three pieces of small heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet which contained suspected illegal drugs.

Later on, a 16-year-old boy from Poblacion, Carmen was also rescued during a buy bust operation in the area for allegedly possessing six heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of suspected illegal drugs.

The two are in the custody of the station since Saturday and will be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday. — Marjory D. Enriquez and Imarie Jane D. Madarieta (FREEMAN)