Punta cops net 3 men in two buy-bust ops in Labangon

Two anti-illegal drug operations in a span of one hour on Tuesday in Sitio Bugnay, Barangay Labangon, Cebu City led to the arrest of a pedicab driver and two others and the confiscation of suspected illegal drugs worth P60,000.

Julius Hortelano, 25, the pedicab driver, and Jesus Endriga, 34, were arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by a team of Punta Princesa police officers, said PO2 Rey Fabroa of the Punta Princesa Police Precinct in a phone interview on Tuesday.

They were caught at past 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

Hortelona, who resides in Sitio Bugnay, was caught with six sachets and a medium pack of suspected shabu while Endriga of Salvador Extension had two sachets of suspected shabu with him, said Fabroa.

Fabroa also said that Hortelano was allegedly the one who sold the illegal drugs, while Endriga was caught while buying shabu.

At past 2 a.m., the same team conducted another buy-bust operation in the same area and arrested, Janno Obaldo, 19, of Sitio Bugnay.

Chief Insp. Henrix Bancoleta said that Obaldo was caught with five sachets and a medium pack of suspected shabu.

Bancoleta said that they were also verifying reports linking Obaldo to a robbery and killing of a former police officer who drove a taxicab, a few months ago.

Bancoleta said that the illegal drugs confiscated from the three suspects would have an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P60,000.

The three suspects were detained at the Punta Princesa Police Precinct detention cell pending the filing of charges.