Argao police presented the small packs of suspected shabu confiscated from live-in partners Ponciano Mamugay and Marites Batican during a buy-bust operation. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
A MALE employee of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and his live-in partner were arrested during a buy-bust operation around 11 a.m. yesterday in Barangay Talaga, Argao, Cebu.
Seized from the possession of Ponciano Mamugay, 47, a native of Argao who works as administrative aid of VSMMC, were 19 small sachets of suspected shabu while those from his live-in partner, Marites Batican, 47, of Barangay Ermita, Cebu City, were 17 small sachets of illegal drugs. All confiscated drugs were worth around P22,000.
Policemen led by Senior Insp. Weather Grapa, chief of the Argao Police Station, used P300 marked money in transacting with the suspects. Albert Ortega, cohort of the suspect, managed to escape arrest.
SPO2 Meliton Agadier narrated that Ortega was allegedly the one who transacted with the police poseur buyer along the road. Ortega allegedly gave the P300 marked money to Mamugay, who was seated in a kiosk nearby.
Mamugay in turn handed over to Ortega the illegal drugs intended for the police poseur buyer.
Mamugay immediately ran when he was about to be arrested; but the police got ahold of him, along with his live-in partner, who was seated beside him.
According to Agadier, Mamogay was reported to have already been involved in illegal drug activities even before the implementation of Oplan Tokhang.