CEBU, Philippines - Separate anti-drug operations by the police have resulted to the arrest of eight persons, including five who were caught inside a boarding house they used as a drug den in Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 identified the person allegedly maintaining the drug den as May Ann Hipolito, 21, a resident of the place.
PDEA operatives in coordination with the Lapu-Lapu Drug Enforcement Unit launched the operation Monday evening after receiving information on Hipolito’s modus operandi of converting a boarding house into a drug den.
“Modus operandi niya ani kay mangabang siya og boarding house, ngadto niya iyang pasuyopan. Naabtan nato is usa ka boarding house pero sa interior pa jud nga part kay naa pa gyod siyay gi-abangan ngadto,” said PDEA-7 spokesperson Leia Albiar.
She identified those arrested with Hipolito as Jane Ross Mangubat, 28; Alvin Monterola, 26; Wilmar Cuizon; 20 ; and a 17-year old female minor. All suspects were Pajo residents
Albiar said they received several complaints against Hipolito’s illegal activity in the area, hence the operation.
Recovered inside the boarding house wer 56.5 grams of suspected shabu estimated to be worth P113, 000, and drug paraphernalia.
Albiar said Hipolito also supplies illegal drugs in Barangay Gun-ob and that the suspect could dispose 50 to 100 grams of suspected shabu weekly, making her a “high value target”.
“(It was a) high impact operation basing on the worth na na-seized and also considering that it is a drug den. Basta drug den man god kay i-consider na nato as high impact operation kay dako kaayo ang impact sa community basta naay drug den,” said Albiar.
The suspects are currently detained at the PDEA 7 detention cell and would be charged for violating the Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002).
Hours earlier, a man was arrested while his companion managed to escape after a buy-bust operation by Talisay City police at the Lagtang Public Market Monday afternoon.
Noli “Lagom” Cabrera Jr. of Sitio Creekville, Lagtang was caught while a certain Stella Cabajar, also of Creekville and the subject of the operation, managed to elude arrest.
Authorities said an informant was the one who alerted the police on Cabajar. After the validating team confirmed her presence, they immediately conducted the buy-bust operation.
The police poseur buyer was able to complete the transaction with Cabajar. She and a certain Joshua, however, managed to shake him off while the other policemen were still closing in. Cabrera, who was allegedly with Cabajar, was the only one arrested after he yielded four small packs of suspected shabu and P1,110 cash that was believed to be proceeds from the illegal drug trade.
In Cebu City yesterday morning, policemen led by Chief Inspector Christopher Navida, Cebu City Police Office-City Intelligence Brach chief and City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) personnel conducted a buy-bust operation in Tres de Abril, Barangay Labangon at 3:10 a.m. and arrested Steven “Dwight” Cabreros Cavan, 31.
Cavan, whom the police consider as high value target, Cavan yielded one small and nine medium sachets of suspected shabu weighing 45.06 grams and estimated to be worth P157,640, and cash worth P1300 pesos believed to be proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs.
He was handcuffed after handing a small pack of suspected shabu to an undercover policeman in Tres de Abril, Barangay Labangon.
An hour later, in Magsaysay Street Barangay Suba, a police team led by Senior Inspector Narrolf Tan, CIB deputy chief, also arrested John Risty Abellana Lupian, 20, allegedly a level 1 high-value target.
Aside from the pack of suspected shabu he handed to the police, Lupian also yielded two small, two medium and one large sachets of suspected shabu weighing 35.08 and with a value of P119,272.
CIB said Lupian was under surveillance for two weeks before the operation was launched. — Mae Clydyl L. Avila, Ermida Q. Moradas, Iris Mariani B. Algabre (FREEMAN)