AN alleged drug peddler on the police watch list was shot dead by men on board a motorcycle while nine persons were arrested in police drug busts in different towns and cities in Cebu between Friday and Saturday.
The shooting incident claimed the life of Francisco “Nonoy” Cainges, 36, who was working at a road repair project in Sitio Cang-ibang of Barangay Mantalongon in the southern Cebu town of Dalaguete town at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
A report from the Dalaguete police to the Cebu Provincial Police Office said two men drove through the road project on board a black Rusi motorcycle when the back rider repeatedly shot Cainges.
Cainges died due to his gunshot wound in the chest. But at least four empty shells of caliber .45 gun were recovered from the crime scene, according to the town police’s report.
The report said Cainges was on the watch list of the Dalaguete police station who surrendered to the police last month during the start of Oplan Tokhang, the police’s anti-drug operation that has resulted to mass surrenders of both drug users and peddlers across the country.
Investigators were, however, looking at another angle in his killing as he was previously invited to the police station after he was linked to a shooting incident last June 9.
Meanwhile, at least nine persons were arrested in different buy-bust operations in Cebu province on Friday and Saturday.
In Talisay City, Eusobio Burgos was nabbed at 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Sitio Pangpang, Barangay San Isidro, after 0.12 grams of shabu were taken from his possession. Based on the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), it has a street value of P1,416.
In Carcar City, Lloyd Alcordo was also arrested in a drug bust at 2:40 p.m. on Friday. Police recovered three small sachets of shabu from him.
In Tabogon, Agribon Calompiano and Janico Monterola were arrested in a drug bust that netted for the police several pieces of tiny sachets of shabu worth P600, as well as the P300 buy-bust money.
In Santa Fe town on Bantayan Island, drug peddlers Kenny Ong and Vicente Zaspa Jr. was arrested at 5:25 p.m. on Friday after they transacted with a policeman who posed as buyer. Five small sachets of shabu were recovered from their pockets.
In Ronda, Noel Abestano was caught with a sachet of shabu worth P200 in a buy-bust operation at 7 p.m. on Friday.
In Balamban, Rolyn Gamaso was arrested in a buy-bust operation at 11 a.m. on Friday and was caught in possession of a small sachet of shabu that weighed 0.2 grams valued at P236 and P200 in cash.
Gamaso has no prior criminal record, said P03 Josephus Montesclaros of the Balamban police.
In Alcoy, Roy “Bobong” Nieves was arrested at 12:20 p.m on Friday after a search warrant was issued by Judge Maximo Perez of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 26 in Argao town.
He had the biggest amount of shabu recovered from the arrest, which was five grams and valued at P59,000. Several repacking materials and drug paraphernalia were also recovered from him.
PO1 Alejandrino Dayaganon, duty desk officer of the Alcoy police, said Nieves had surrendered to them last July 13 in their implementation of Oplan Tokhang. But their surveillance four days ago revealed that he has returned to selling shabu.
A total of P61,252 worth of shabu were recovered from the arrested persons.