Two men linked to mauled drug suspect caught with shabu in Carreta bust

Aldrin Nalzaro and Arnel Leonado are caught with several sachets of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City on May 7. | Benjie B. Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two men, who had links to drug suspect Eddie Basillote, were arrested in an anti-illegal drug operation in Sitio Ponce 2, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, at past 1 p.m. of May 7.

Aldrin Nalzaro, 28, of Barangay Lamac, Consolacion town in northern Cebu and Arnel Leonado, 24, of Sitio Ponce 2, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, were arrested by police officers of the Waterfront Police Precinct in a buy-bust operation in the area, said Police Major Joemar Pomarejos, Waterfront Police Precinct chief.

They were caught with several sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of P24,000.

Pomarejos said that they also found out that the house that they raided was owned by Basillote.

Read more: CCPO to probe Talamban cops for ‘police brutality’ caught on video

Basillote was the drug suspect who was mauled last April 18 allegedly by police officers of the Talamban Police Precinct who were allegedly conducting an anti-illegal drug operation in the area.

The mauling incident was caught by the security camera of the pinball shop that the police raided, was uploaded online, went viral and created a controversy about alleged police brutality.

Read more: Garma to file cyber libel case against Basillote’s common law wife 

The two drug suspects arrested on May 7 had links to Basillote, said Pomarejos.

Nalzaro, a jeepney conductor was a friend of Basillote staying at the latter’s house, while Leonado was a cousin of Basillote’s common law wife, said Pomarejos.

Nalzaro was also one of the complainants in the complaint filed against the police officers involved in the mauling incident of Basillote.

Read more: Mauling incident: Torture, robbery complaint filed against 8 ‘Talamban cops’

Pomarejos said that the target of their operation on May 7 was Nalzaro and Leonado whom they had monitored for four days before raiding the house that they were staying and were allegedly operating their alleged drug activities.

He said that they received information about the suspects’ alleged illegal activities and were informed about strangers’ visiting the house day and night.

They verified the information and then conducted the operation against the two suspects.

Nalzaro and Leonado were detained at the Waterfront Police Precinct detention cell pending the filing of charges./dbs