Three “big targets” arrested for drugs

CEBU, Philippines —  At least P1 million worth of illegal drugs was confiscated from three high-value targets in separate buy-bust operations conducted around Cebu City between Thursday night and Friday dawn.

The first operation was conducted last Thursday at around 10 p.m. in Sitio Laguna, Barangay Basak-Pardo, Cebu City, where a certain Evmar Vasquez, 30, was arrested. Confiscated from him was suspected shabu weighing 104 grams estimated at P700,000.

Vasquez is now detained at the Pardo Police Station facing charges for selling drugs.

Last Friday around 2 a.m., another buy-bust operation was conducted in Sitio Landia, Barangay Bacayan, Cebu City, where Jefferson Ruaza Sasan, 27, was arrested.

Confiscated from him were 75.2 grams of suspected illegal drugs with an estimated value of at least P500,000.

Police Captain Jonathan Taneo, Talamban Police Station chief, told reporters that the suspect was under surveillance for a week before they conducted the operation. He added that Sasan’s areas of operation was within the neighboring barangays of Bacayan.

Based on the interrogation of Sasan, a follow-up buy-bust operation was conducted in Sitio Lower Bacayan in the same barangay at around 3:50 a.m. that same day.

That operation netted Paul Daniel Sanches Miñosa, 26, who yielded around 100 grams of suspected illegal drugs with an estimated value of at least P700,000.

Taneo revealed that Miñosa usually sells more than Sasan. However, together they were able to dispose of around 25 grams of illegal drugs in a week.

Sasan and Miñosa are now under the custody of Talamban Police Station and are still under further investigation to determine if they belong to a drug group.

All three arrested were considered high-value targets at the regional level.  BRP (FREEMAN)