One hundred twelve drug suspects were arrested while 59 children were rescued during separate one-time, big-time operations of police in Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Minglanilla town in southern Cebu on Thursday and Friday.
In Lapu-Lapu City, police arrested 20 drug suspects during their operation on Thursday.
Aside from that, they also rescued 56 minors, who were taken in as they violated the city’s anti-curfew ordinance.
The ordinance prohibits children from loitering in the streets or in the barangays from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Chief Insp. Karen Bancoleta of the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office said they were coordinating with the City Social Welfare and Development Office to file appropriate cases against the parents of the minors, who had been identified as consistent violators of the anti-curfew ordinance.
Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot said they arrested 14 persons in separate buy-bust operations in the different barangays of the city.
Six others were wanted persons, who were arrested after they were served warrants of arrest for illegal drugs and attempted murder, said Cabagnot.
Lapu-Lapu police also arrested two persons for illegal gambling and three others for illegal dispatching.
In Minglanilla town in southern Cebu, police arrested seven drug suspects including a traffic enforcer, and rescued two minors during separate drug operations in three barangays.
Supt. Dexter Calacar of the Minglanilla Police Station said that they arrested Carlito Ebora, 54, a traffic enforcer of the Minglanilla Traffic Command; Noel Espura, 42; and Donald Perocho, 41, as they were leaving a shanty that police described as a site where a suspected pot session was held.
Three sachets of suspected shabu were confiscated from the suspects.
Calacar also said that they also arrested two men believed to be selling illegal drugs during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Lower Pakigne.
Arrested were Giv Geonzon, 29, and Arnulfo Malazarte, 36, and brothers Chris Anthony Bastida and Brendon.
They also confiscated illegal drugs worth P16,140 from the suspects.
Aside from that, Calacar said that they also rescued two 16-year-old boys, whom he believed were used as a drug couriers by the suspects.
The suspects were detained at the Minglanilla Police Station while the minors were turned over to social workers.
In Cebu City, 85 drug suspects were arrested and 206 grams of suspected shabu worth P2,397,415 were confiscated.
The arrested drug suspects were among the 151 arrested in the Cebu City Police Office’s 35th Oplan Pokemon: One-time, Big-time operation conducted in the city.
Chief Insp. Christopher Navida, chief of the City Intelligence Branch, said they also arrested 39 persons for illegal gambling and confiscated 72 video karera machines.
Navida said among those arrested was James Johnson, a suspected high-value target, with 15 grams of suspected shabu worth P177,000 confiscated from his possession during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Tisa.
Navida said Johnson could allegedly dispose of 50 to 70 grams of illegal drugs in a week.
Those arrested in Cebu City raids were detained at the Cebu City Police Office pending the filing of charges.