Sambag II drug haul part of magnetic lifter drug shipment?

WHILE the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region (PDEA) is still investigating the source of the 3.8 kilo haul of shabu, confiscated from an apartment in Barangay Sambag II, Police Regional Director, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas believes it could be part of the drug shipment inside a magnetic lifter at the Manila International Container Port, part of which slipped Customs.

“We have the reason to believe that it came from there. But we do not have any evidence yet. The PDEA has the right (to conclude that it came from the magnetic lifter),” said Sinas in a press conference yesterday.

He said that the analysis of the illegal drugs seized by the police will go through the PDEA.

PDEA Regional Director Warley Getalia said they are now coordinating with the Cebu City Police Office to get more information on the source of shabu and investigate the suspect,Michael Carabaña and his three alleged cohorts, identified as Jemuel Enrile, Arnold Arquiza and Augustin Quijano.

There is now an ongoing intelligence workshop with PDEA and the PNP in the region to share intelligence information and how to identify the flow of drug”m -lalo na yong tinatawag naming drug route Getalia said.

Sinas said the quality of the shabu confiscated from Carabaña was similar to that confiscated inside the magnetic lifter.

Sinas said that they also found out that Carabaña started disposing shabu last August, or just a month after the magnetic lifter containing P6.5 billion worth of shabu was discovered by the PDEA at the MICP.

“August siya nag start og dispose. Iyahang gitug-an nga ikalima na ni niya nga disposal. So we believe nga dili lang three kilos naa sa iyaha,” said Sinas.

(He started disposing shabu August this year. Carabaña admitted that he already disposed five batches of these illegal drugs. So we believe that he had more than three kilos of shabu before we apprehended him)

Sinas said the drugs confiscated from Carabaña is high grade kind.

“Very white g’yud siya. Dili parehas sa uban nga atong nakuha like sa Barnagay Tisa nga yellowish, brownish,” said Sinas.

(It’s very white. It is not the same of the drugs we confiscated in the past operations which were yellowish, or brownish)

Meanwhile, Getalia said there is a need to get the flow of illegal drug and how it is transported until it reached Cebu.

“Kailangan talaga natin dito nang in deep investigation para malaman talaga natin kung saan nang galing” Getalia said.

Getalia said he requested for a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the 3.8 kilo drug haul from Carabaña to determine the origin of the shabu.