Drugs worth P105 million seized, 7 nabbed

CEBU, Philippines —  Over P105 million worth of illegal drugs were seized and seven high-value drug individuals nabbed in separate anti-illegal drug operations on Saturday alone, June 25, in Central Visayas, Police Regional Office-7 announced.

In Lapu-Lapu City, at least 15 kilograms of suspected shabu worth P102 million was seized from two drug couriers from Manila during a joint follow-up operation at the Muelle Osmeña Wharf in Barangay Poblacion at around 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The suspects -- identified as Eric Bacalso Felisilda, 46, from Tagbilaran City, Bohol, and Neil James Vallesquina, 28, from Dasmariñas, Cavite -- travelled from Manila to Cebu to allegedly distribute illegal drugs in Visayas.

The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office said Felisilda and Vallesquina are considered high-value individuals (HVI) and were under surveillance.

Seized from the suspects were a black backpack, two paper bags, a sack bag, 15 pieces of tea bags with printed Chinese characters containing white crystalline substances, a cellular phone, identification cards, and a buy-bust money.

Meanwhile, the Talisay City Police Station and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) arrested two high-value personalities in separate buy-bust operations where a total of 150 grams of shabu worth P1,020,000 were seized during the operations.

Police identified the suspects as John Maverick “JM” Gabisay, from Barangay Tanke, Talisay City, and May Faith Bacus Vinculado, also from the same barangay.

Sachets of suspected shabu, buy-bust money, a paper bag used as a container, and a mobile phone were found in the suspects’ possession.

In Negros Oriental, Bacong Municipal Police Station also arrested a high-value target identified as Crisanto Ang Sayre, 42, a.k.a Cris, from Barangay Calindagan, Dumaguete City in a buy-bust operation past midnight on Saturday, June 25.

About 200 grams of suspected shabu worth P1.3 million, buy-bust money, a digital weighing scale, a box, and a duffle bag were confiscated from Sayre during the joint operations of Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, PDEU, PIU, RPDEU7, and Dumaguete Maritime Police.

In Toledo City, Cebu, 100.12 grams of suspected shabu valued at P680,816 was also seized from two suspects in Barangay Don Andres Soriano. The suspects, John Roderick Autencio Sollano, 42, an animal technician, and Rutchen Baliguat Buglosa, 39, a parlor beautician, were arrested in a buy-bust operation of conducted by the Toledo City Police Station and CCPO. 

Police considered the two as high-value individuals in the region.

In the wake of the successful operations, PRO-7 director Brigadier General Roque Edwardo Vega congratulated his operating teams for strengthening the war against illegal drugs.

Vega said the large quantities of illegal drugs recovered from HVI personalities could lead to a crucial setback for groups behind the illegal drug trade in Central Visayas. — Dominic I. Dilao, Correspondent, and Rubie Mae T. Sollano, CNU Intern, JMD (FREEMAN)