Son of prominent Cebu traders held in drug bust

CEBU CITY — Police the other night arrested a son of the owners of a popular chain of optical shops at a drug session in Mandaue City.

Intelligence and Drug Enforcement Unit agents of the Mandaue City police found Antonio de las Peñas and his driver Gerardo Badayos allegedly smoking shabu in a raid on the house of one Francisco Heyrosa.

De las Peñas, 27, is a son of Sally and Antonio de las Peñas, owners of the De Los Reyes chain of optical shops in Cebu City.

Drug Enforcement Unit chief Rey Tiempo said the arrest came as a result of a buy-bust operation involving one of his men, police officer Arnold Quiachon.

Quiachon, posing as a buyer, went to see a certain Chadwick Tabotabo of Barangay Looc in Mandaue City to buy shabu worth P200 with the use of marked money.

Tabotabo, long suspected to be a pusher, told Quiachon he had run out of supply and took the disguised policeman to Heyrosa, also a suspected pusher.

At the house of Heyrosa, whom Quiachon came upon still packing shabu, the policeman saw De las Peñas and Badayos, along with a woman from Alaska, Mambaling named Liza Limbaga allegedly having a shabu session.

Quiachon did not immediately effect the arrest but proceeded to close the deal with Heyrosa.

Only after the deal was consummated did Quiachon identified himself, effected the arrest and called for backup.

A search of the house by police agents resulted in the confiscation of 1.37 grams of shabu in three small plastic packets, the P200 in marked money used in the bust operation, and another P1,300 cash believed to be from the sale of drugs.

Tiempo said De las Peñas and Badayos are frequently seen in the house of Heyrosa who, along with Tabotabo, is in the watchlist of the Drug Enforcement Unit.

Tiempo said charges have already been filed against the suspects, who are now being detained at the Mandaue City jail. — Freeman News Service