Waterfront police collar fast food chain service crew with P9.8M worth of shabu

Fast food chain employee Leonorman Tabao was arrested for possession of P9.8 million worth of shabu./ Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Tips from his neighbors led to the arrest of a downtown Cebu City fast food chain service crew for the possession of P9.8 million worth of illegal drugs at around 3 p.m. this afternoon, January 30.

Operatives of the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) of the Waterfront Police Station collared Leonorman Tabao, 25, outside of his boarding house in Sitio Nazarene that is  located just across the Tinago Barangay  Hall after he sold illegal drugs to a police poseur buyer.

Police recovered 1, 450 grams of suspected shabu worth P9.8 million from Tabao, who is a native of Barangay Banban, Asturias town in midwest Cebu.

Senior Supt. Royina Garma, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, said that the drugs recovered from Tabao was high grade  shabu.

Garma visited the Waterfront Police Station late this afternoon to check on Tabao and the illegal drugs that was recovered from his possession.

Senior Insp. Joemar Pomarejos, head of the Waterfront Police Station, said they placed Tabao under surveillance for 14 days prior to his arrest.

In an interview with Cebu Daily News Digital, Tabao said that the shabu recovered from his possession was merely left under his care by his childhood friend, Jude Michael Barcibal, who is a resident of Sitio Palma, Barangay San Roque, Cebu City in December 2018.

He agreed to keep the drugs after Barcibal told him that someone will be coming to see him and pick  up the shabu that was placed in a plastic pouch.

Tabao admitted knowing that illegal drugs was inside the pouch that was left to him, but he agreed to keep the shabu anyway because Barcibal was a friend.

Pomarejos said that they are now trying to locate Barcibal who has fled his home. /dcb