Mandaue City Hall worker yields drugs

CEBU, Philippines -  Police detained on Thursday a job order employee of the Mandaue City Assessor's Office who was reportedly caught possessing illegal drugs in a security checkpoint.

Operatives of Basak Police Station arrested Rheel Apor, 35, single and resident of Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City, after yielding two small sachets of suspected shabu sandwiched between sticks of mint gum he was holding.

The police flagged down Apor at around 2:45 p.m. during a checkpoint in Zone Pechay, Barangay Paknaan. 

According to Basak police chief, Senior Inspector Genilo Veraque, they found Apor driving without license, aside from the expired official receipt and certificate of his motorcycle's registration.

Veraque said that one of their personnel noticed that Apor went uneasy while holding what appeared to be sachets of gum in his hands.

"Nakit-an siya nga naa'y gigunitan nga Doublemint. Nangayo akong pulis, di man siya (Apor) manghatag, unya uneasy pud siya samtang gagunit busa girikisa siya ug didto diay niya gitaguan ang duha ka gagmayng pakete sa shabu," Veraque said.

(Apor was seen holding Doublemint sachets. One of the policemen asked some but Apor allegedly refused and looked uneasy while holding the gum sachets. That's when he was subjected to a frisk where he yielded two small shabu sachets tucked between the gum packets.)

Further police investigation revealed that Apor was still supposed to be on duty at the time he was arrested. He reportedly left his job just to buy illegal drugs in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion town.

Veraque said the suspect was worried that the incident might cost him his job at the City Hall. Despite this, the police are determined to file drug charges against Apor on Monday for violation of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.  (FREEMAN)