Boy, 17, charged for selling drugs

CEBU, Philippines — A 17-year-old boy is facing charges before the court after the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office found probable cause in the drug complaints filed against him.

The boy is now detained at the Cebu City Jail and there is no bail recommended for his temporary liberty.

 Prosecutor II Jennifer Karen Alo-Leyson indicted the boy (name withheld for being a minor), a resident of Colveta II, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, after he chose not to submit counter affidavit to negate the allegations filed against him.

Leyson resolved the complaints based on the evidence available.

Police Officer 1 Aries Himuta, in his affidavit, alleged that while he was on duty on January 15, 2019, at about 12:55 a.m., a concerned citizen appeared before their office and informed them of the alleged illegal activities of a minor.

 According to the concerned citizen, the minor is one of the alleged sources of shabu in their place and the neighboring barangays.

 Allegedly, the minor has contacts with some bigtime drug pushers in Barangay Mambaling.

After verifying the report, Himuta said a buy-bust operation was conducted leading to the arrest of the minor.

 Aside from one plastic sachet believed to be shabu, which was the subject of the sale, the police were able to recover another 13 plastic sachets of shabu weighing 5.73 grams from the minor’s possession.

 Meanwhile, almost P500,000 worth of illegal drugs was seized in a buy-bust operation in Sitio Laguna, Barangay San Nicolas, Cebu City yesterday dawn.

Arrested during the operation conducted by Mambaling Police Station was Jonathan Villahermosa, 43, and a resident of the area.

Seized from the suspect were 17 plastic packs of suspected shabu weighing 65.48 grams with an estimated value of P445, 264.

Also seized was P800 believed to be proceeds from the illegal drug trade. — Imarie Jane D. Madarieta, USJ-R Intern, MBG, (FREEMAN)