Police dragnet results to arrest of 7 drug suspects

Renante Degollacion (right), 37, of Sitio Sangi, Barangay Pajo, who is said to be one of the biggest drug dealers of Lapu-Lapu City, was arrested in a police buy-bust operation last Monday. With him was his lookout and errand boy, 18-year-old Ariel Marson.    
(CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)

SEVEN persons, including two police “high value targets” were arrested by Lapu-Lapu City policemen in a string of buy-bust operations Monday evening.

Renante Degollacion, 37, of Barangay Pajo and Glenis Dignos, 38, of Barangay Basak were arrested by elements of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) City Intelligence Branch (CIB).

According to Senior Insp. Joey Bicoy, Degollacion and Dignos were key members of a drug syndicate operating in the city.

Police said Degollacion was able to evade two anti-drug operations last May which resulted to the arrest of his wife, Rubelyn, for possession of illegal drugs.

Degollacion, Bicoy said, had two pending warrants of arrest and had gone into hiding for several years.

But police received information recently that he had returned to his house in Sitio Sangi and resumed his illegal drug operations.

This prompted police to immediately conduct a buy-bust operation using P300 marked money to purchase a small sachet of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

After selling drugs to a police poseur buyer, Degollacion was arrested at around 7 p.m. just outside his house.

Aside from the marked money, operatives were also able to seize 11 small sachets and one medium pack of suspected shabu from the drug suspect along with P800 cash believed to be his drug proceeds.

Degollacion’s errand boy and lookout identified as Ariel Marson, 18, was also arrested. Police said Marson was out on bail on charges of illegal drug possession filed last May.

Police dragnet

About an hour earlier, at past 6 p.m., another team from the CIB arrested Glenis Dignos in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City.

Thirteen small sachets of suspected shabu, P300 marked money and P500 cash believed to be his drug proceeds were seized.

According to police estimates, the combined sachets of shabu confiscated from Degollacion and Dignos would be worth around P75,000.

Meanwhile at about the same time, elements of the city’s Pusok Police Station led by Chief Inspector Wayne Magbanua, arrested four persons in Barangay Bangkal at around 7:30 p.m.

Police arrested 23-year-old Jenea Sasing, a resident of Sitio Pool, following a buy-bust operation.

Three others identified as Romeo Malinao, 28, Flaviano Sasing Jr., 19, and Vivencio Labitad, 60, were caught in the act of sniffing shabu during a pot session and will be charged for possession of illegal drugs, said police.

Seized from Sasing were 34 small sachets of suspected shabu and P200 marked money. 

The total confiscated drugs from the four amounted to P57,348 based on Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value, police said.