P800K drugs seized, 14 nabbed in Bato raid

Drug suspects are arrested during a raid in Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita in Cebu City.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Police raided a suspected “shabu tiangge” within the Unit 2 near the Carbon Public market yesterday and confiscated P800,000 worth of suspected shabu and arrested 15 people.

Director Yogi Filemon Ruiz, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 (PDEA-7) chief, said the operation was a joint operation of the PDEA-7, Regional Special Operations Group-7 (RSOG-7) and Task Force Cebu of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), where they served a search warrant to Richard “Tata” Cañete, who was suspected to maintain a suspected “shabu tiangge” in Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City, which they have placed under surveillance for three months.

Ruiz said the search warrant was issued by Judge Estela Alma Sinco of Regional Trial Court Branch 12.

Ruiz said that Cañete and his cohorts were reportedly maintaining five drug dens in the area located behind Unit 2 of Carbon Public Market.“Didto ra gyud sa Bato, Carbon,” he said.

“Didto na, pagsulod sa tawo, buy ug drugs then after buying the drugs, palit na lang sad didto ug mga paraphernalia, suyop, bayad sa pwesto, paggawas, high na. One-stop shop,” he said.

Among those arrested are Cañete and 13 others who were caught using illegal drugs when the raid was conducted and whose names are still being identified.

Ruiz said that the drugs confiscated from the raid consist of suspected shabu worth at least P800,000.

“Makita nimo sa area grabe ka luoy sa lugar,” he said. “Ang agi-anan bitaw, daghan kaayo ug mga paraphernalia nga used, ipanglabay na lang. Mao’y makita sa mga bata, they could be thinking nga normal lang na.”

Ruiz said they are also considering filing a case of dereliction of duty against all the elected officials of the barangay as there was no cooperation on their part.

“I’m planning on that kay wala man sila mi-cooperate,” he said. “Nagpatawag mi didto, wala man sila. In the first place, ang kadtong in-adto nga gidak-on nga problema, dili to karon lang nga situation, dugay na to.”

In an earlier interview, Ruiz said that the despite asking for assistance, the barangay has not sent any aid, which could probably be attributed to their fear of retribution from drug syndicates operating in the area.

“Ang una jud na manubag ang barangay,” he said. “Nakita man nato nga wa gani mipadala ug tao ang barangay. Nagtawag ta didto. Wa sila mi-kooperar kay hadlok sila kontrahan sa mga sindikato.”