P5 million marijuana, P1 million shabu seized

CEBU, Philippines —  Four separate operations in Cebu City Thursday yielded over P5 million worth of marijuana stalks and nearly one million worth of shabu.

At noon Thursday, a total of 11,200 fully-grown marijuana plants were uprooted by authorities in two locations, which are 50 meters apart, in Sitio Mapa, Tagba-o, an upland barangay.

Authorities burned some of the uprooted marijuana stalks on the plantation site and a part were kept to be used as evidence against the cultivators.

Personnel of the Cebu City Police Office’s City Mobile Force Company, City Drug Enforcement Unit, and Naval Forces Central-7, however, failed to arrest the cultivators during the operations.

An investigation is underway to determine the owners of the marijuana plantation sites, which were discovered on the second day of the three-day Oplan Amazon, a security operation.

SHABU

Meanwhile, three suspected drug personalities, including two high-value targets, were arrested in separate buy-bust operations Thursday in Cebu City, resulting in the seizure of over P900,000 worth of drugs.

Authorities first arrested a 17-year-old boy, a high-value target, in Sitio Ponce, Barangay Carreta.

Personnel of Waterfront Police Station seized 10 sachets of shabu worth P340,000 and P8,000 buy-bust money from the teenager, who is now in custody of the Women and Children Protection Desk and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Also, a high-value target, 23-year-old Jason Dayap, was arrested and was caught with over half a million worth of drugs in Sitio Upper Cogon, Barangay Labangon.

Labangon police recovered one large, six small, and 11 medium sachets of shabu weighing 80 grams with a street value of P544,000 from Dayap.

The operation against Dayap was conducted after one of the suspects in a previous buy-bust operation pointed to Dayap as his source of illegal drugs.

The seized drugs were brought to the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory for forensic examination.

Dayap is now detained at the Cebu City Police Office pending the filing of drug charges against him.

In Barangay Luz, Mabolo police confiscated 17 sachets of shabu worth P27,200 from Leonisa "Lonie" Otarra, 55.

Ottara will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. — Noree Rose C. Vilchez and David E Mesias, CNU Interns/KQD (FREEMAN)