PDEA to Carreta officials: Explain drug den near hall

Carreta brgy hall
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO

Carreta barangay officials will be told to explain why a drug den was operating right behind the barangay hall.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 director Yogi Felimon Ruiz is taking Carreta Barangay Captain Eduardo Lauron to task as he threatened to take the matter before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas, just as he did in the case of Ermita barangay officials.

“We are studying the situation now. Why was there a drug den right at the back of the barangay hall,” Ruiz said.

“If naa tay basis nga file-an nato silag kaso, again para sa ako that basis is dereliction of duty. We will be filing if naa tay basis,” Ruiz said.
(If we will be able to find a basis to file a complain then we will file a case against them for dereliction of duty)

Last Feb. 1, agents of PDEA-7 raided a suspected drug den located just 15 meters away from the barangay hall and arrested the den’s alleged operator and four supposed drug users, including a 17-year-old girl.

Rolly Frasco, 34, who allegedly run the drug den in Carreta, was arrested after he handed a pack of shabu to an undercover agent. Several packs of shabu (methamphetamine) amounting to P100,000 and assorted drug paraphernalia were recovered from Frasco.

According to Ruiz, he will need an explanation from Lauron and the rest of the barangay’s officials.

“Naa sa likod sa barangay hall mismo wala lang ka kabadlong man lang? Imo pasadaan lang diha, maglakaw-lakaw mo diha, mangahadlok siguro na. Pero kung gapasada-pasada ka dinha tungod nagbantay ka naay PDEA, aw lahi nanang estoryaha,” Ruiz said.

(It was just behind the barangay hall and you did not even reprimand them. If you just patrolled the area, those drug pushers might be scared. But if you are just patrolling the area to watch out for PDEA, then that’s a different story.)

Ruiz also lamented that out of 49 lowland barangays in Cebu City, only Barangays Quiot Pardo and Tisa responded to a call of PDEA-7 to give the agency a list of suspected drug personalities operating in their areas of jurisdiction so the agency can do its job after the Philippine National Police (PNP) halted illegal drug operations last week to focus on cleaning their ranks.