Cebu City busts yield P46M shabu; 2 nabbed

Melchor Ocarol is detained at the Cebu City police detention cell (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON).

CEBU City police conducted two separate operations yesterday and confiscated suspected shabu worth P46.8 million and arrested two alleged big-time drug pushers in the coastal barangay of Pasil and Barangay Guadalupe.

First to fall was Melchor Ocarol, 53, who is facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9610 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly for selling illegal drugs — a non-bailable offense.

He was caught with several packs of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in his home in Pasil.

Chief Insp. Christopher Navida, head of the City Intelligence Branch, said they recovered from Ocarol’s house several plastic packs of suspected shabu weighing 1.25 kilos, with an estimated worth of P14,809,000.

Ocarol, who was considered a high-value target by the Cebu City police, is the brother of former Barangay Pasil captain and now councilman Romeo Ocarol.
In an interview at the Cebu City Police Office’s stockade, Ocarol denied the accusations against him.

“Igo man lang na nga gibilin ngari nako. Dili na akoa (Those packs of shabu were just entrusted to me. I don’t own them),” he said.

Navida said they conducted surveillance operations at Ocarol’s place for a month after the suspect’s name was mentioned by a number of drug suspects they earlier arrested.

They then conducted a buy-bust operation against Ocarol and arrested him at past 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

Navida said the suspect allegedly pleaded to the raiding team to let him go.

Navida claimed that the suspect tried to negotiate with them and even offered to let them have the drugs in exchange for his freedom.

But the police declined the offer and arrested Ocarol.

Navida said Ocarol has been supplying illegal drugs in at least three barangays in Cebu City — Carreta, Labangon, and Guadalupe — based on the suspect’s logbook that was recovered by the police.

Navida said that they believed that the suspect got his supply of drugs either from Manila or Ozamis City. The packs of shabu were reportedly transported to Barangay Pasil in Cebu City through sea vessels.

At 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) also conducted a buy-bust operation and arrested Maria del Mar.

Leia Albiar, PDEA-7 spokesperson, said they moved in when Del Mar sold a pack of suspected shabu to an undercover agent.

Albiar said they recovered from Del Mar’s condominium unit several packs of suspected shabu weighing 2 kilos worth at least P32 million.

Albiar described Del Mar as an alleged big-time drug pusher.

Del Mar was detained at the PDEA-7 detention cell pending the filing of charges.

Meanwhile, Pasil councilman Romeo Ocarol said he was surprised of his brother’s arrest because he had not seen Melchor for quite a while.

Romeo Ocarol said he last invited Melchor to a family gathering at the Queen City Memorial Garden last All Souls’ and All Saints’ Days but he did not show up because he told us that he did not have money.

He also said that Melchor had no choice but to face the problem he was in.