Talisay drug dens raided, Cordova drug target killed
PSI Jomar Medil (left) Chief of Cordova Police Station and PO3 Eleazar Llanes showed the evidences confiscated from the killed High Value Target Jeffrey Daan in Barangay San Miguel Cordova town.(CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)
AFTER conducting surveillance for two weeks on the ins and outs of a drug haven in Talisay City, operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) swooped down on two alleged drug dens in Sitio Ratan, Barangay Tangke, Thursday afternoon, and arrested 23 persons.
Among those arrested were Richard Macuto, 35; and Bernilito Padillo, 22— the two alleged operators of the reported drug dens following separate buy-bust operations.
Eight persons were arrested at Macuto’s place while thirteen others were caught with Padillo, said PDEA-7 spokesperson Leia Albiar.
PDEA agents seized a total of 34 packs of shabu weighing about 100 grams with an estimated street value of P360,000 and several drug paraphernalia used for repacking and sniffing shabu.
Macuto and Padillo will face charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly for maintaining a drug den, possessing shabu and selling illegal drugs.
The 21 others will be charged for “visiting a drug den,” a violation under section 7 of the same law.
Albiar said the PDEA-7 operatives conducted surveillance activities in the area for two weeks.
When they validated reports regarding the operation of two drug dens in Barangay Tangke, they immediately hatched an entrapment operation to arrest the operators.
Albiar said PDEA-7 coordinated with the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) in the conduct of the operation.
The suspects are detained at the PDEA-7 stockade pending the filing of charges against them.
More drug busts
Philippine Coast Guard
Meanwhile, a member of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), a cousin of suspected big-time drug lord Franz Sabalones, and the son of a retired policeman along with his girlfriend were among those arrested in separate anti-drug operations conducted by the Talisay City police.
Supt. Aileen Recla, police chief of Talisay, identified the PCG Cebu member as 40-year-old Cristituto Inot of Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City.
Inot was arrested while reportedly trying to buy five sachets of shabu from a certain Memar Sabalones-Sabarita, whom police described as the 34- year-old cousin of alleged drug lord Franz Sabalones.
Supt. Recla led the buy- bust operation against Sabarita at around 5 p.m. Thursday in Sitio Santi 2, Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City, which also led to the arrest of one of Memar’s cohorts, a relative named Fretchie Sabarita.
A total of 18 sachets of shabu were confiscated from the Sabaritas.
Memar revealed that he sourced his drug supplies from Barangay Pasil, Cebu City; however, police are validating reports that he also got some of his supplies from the town of San Fernando, where his Sabalones cousin reportedly run his drug network.
In Sitio Kilawan, Barangay Tangke, in another buy-bust operation at 9 p.m. Thursday, Talisay City policemen arrested Jack Labita, the 28-year- old son of a retired cop formerly assigned in Talisay.
Labita was arrested with his girlfriend, 19-year-old Zardyleen Abaquita.
Confiscated from Labita were 70 sachets of shabu and a .38 caliber revolver; while 49 packs were confiscated from Abaquita.
The illegal drugs confiscated from Labita and Abaquita weighed 4.2 grams and were estimated to be worth P 49,000.
“High value target”
In the town of Cordova in Mactan Island, a suspect described by Cordova police as a “high value target” was killed in a buy-bust operation in Barangay San Miguel, yesterday.
38 year old Jeffrey Daan, a resident of the village, died at the Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital from gunshot wounds in his body.
According to Police Sernior Insp. Jomar Medil, chief of the Cordova police station, Daan resisted arrest and fired at police first.
Daan was monitored by police for about a month as his illegal drug trade reportedly brought to areas outside Cordova such as Mandaue, Consolacion, Cebu City and even Bohol.
After allegedly shooting it out with policemen as soon as he noticed that he was transacting with a police poseur buyer, Daan was rushed to the hospital where he died a few minutes later.
Recovered at the scene were P338,000 worth of suspected shabu, two .45 caliber pistols, P9,360 cash believed to be his drug proceeds and drug paraphernalia, police said.
Daan’s guns will be submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory for a ballistics examination to determine if the firearms were involved in any previous criminal activity.
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