P800K of shabu seized in 3 hours in Cebu City

Joleto Abaqueta is one of nine persons arrested in three hours in separate Cebu City Police drug operations. Abaqueta was caught with P70,000 suspected shabu during the Barangay Ermita buy-bust operation at past midnight on January 10./Photo by Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least P800,000 worth of illegal drugs were confiscated by the Cebu City police in three separate operations in a span of three hours in the city.

Police also arrested nine persons in the separate operations from 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9 to past 1 a.m. on Thursday, January 10.

First to fall were Auxen Nelias, 33, of Barangay Lahug, Cebu City; Mary Rose Chavez, 29, of Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City; Ryan Sala, 36, also of Barangay Lahug; Jhon Rey Solis, 24, Ala Casas of legal age; and Harvey Montemayor, 26, the three are all from Barangay Labangon in Cebu City.

 Chief Inspector Dindo Juanito Alaras, Mabolo Police Station chief, told Cebu Daily News Digital in an interview on Thursday that the six suspects were arrested after they were caught with 25 grams of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Nangka, Barangay Luz at 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday.

Alaras said that the confiscated suspected shabu had a Dangerous Drugs Board value of P345,000.

The Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) of the Mabolo Police Station conducted the Barangay Luz operation.

The six suspects were detained at the Mabolo Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges.

At past midnight on Thursday, January 10,  the police officers of the CCPO’s DEU arrested Jolito Abaqueta, 39, of Barangay Ermita, Cebu City, during a buy-bust operation in the barangay.

Chief Insp. Chuck Barandog, CCPO DEU chief, said that they confiscated an estimated P70,000 worth of suspected shabu from Abaqueta.

Abaqueta told police that he was allegedly a fixer at City Hall and he denied selling illegal drugs.

He, however, admitted that he would act as the middle man in the illegal drug business where drug peddlers would leave the suspected to him, which would be picked up by the customers from him.

During their investigation, Barandog said they identified the person, who allegedly supplied the illegal drugs to Abaqueta.

They then conducted a followup operation in Barangay Pahina Central , Cebu City, at the house where Abaqueta would allegedly pick up the suspected shabu.

Their target, however, was not around when they raided the house.

But they were able to arrest the target suspect’s cohort, Ramces Atico, 21, who allegedly handed the illegal drugs to an undercover police officer and Daniel Enriquez, 20, who was inside the house when police raided the house.

Barandog said that they got a big haul of illegal drugs with an estimated DDB value of P408,000.

He said they already knew the drug personality and were withholding the name of the suspect for  followup operations.

Abaqueta, Atico and Enriquez were detained at the CCPO detention cell pending the filing of charges./dbs