Another delivery rider caught with P7.1 million drugs

CEBU, Philippines —  Police arrested another delivery rider who yielded P7.1 million worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation on Friday night along Climaco Street in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

The suspect was identified as Carlo Magno Escoton Tude, who also goes by the alias “Bowwow” and is a resident of the place.

Authorities from the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Cebu City Police Office led by Police Major Jonathan Bethoven Taneo swooped down on the suspect at 11:55 p.m. Friday after receiving information about the suspect’s alleged illegal activities.

Police consider Tude as a high-value individual in the regional level who can allegedly transact huge quantities of illegal drugs.

Taneo said they placed Tude under monitoring for about three weeks before hatching the operation that ultimately led to his arrest.

It was also learned, Taneo added, that Tude was getting his supply of illegal drugs from a contact inside the Cebu City Jail.

In an interview with The FREEMAN following his arrest, Tude said he has been in the illegal drug trade for nearly a year now.

However, he claimed that he was merely acting as delivery guy and was not into selling. He said he was being paid P10,000 for every successful delivery.

According to Cebu City Police Office Director Colonel Josefino Ligan, Tude’s boss was a certain Allen Ramas Badajor a.k.a. “Balo,” who is detained at the city jail.

During the operation, Tude yielded 1.05 kilos of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu which was valued at P7.1 million.

He is now detained at the Cebu City Police Office stockade and is set to face charges for violations of Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Tude was the second delivery rider to have been caught for illegal drugs in just three days. The other day, a certain Are Angco Jumao-as, 35, resident of Barangay Ermita, was also caught in a drug bust by police operatives.

Jumao-as yielded 51 grams of suspected shabu worth about P346,000. — JMD (FREEMAN)