Ex-convict nabbed with P2.7M shabu in Ermita drug bust

Froilan Kabalican is caught with 400 grams of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Ermita, Barangay Ermita in Cebu City on Friday, May 10. | Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A former convict, who served a year in jail for drugs, is going back to prison this time for a longer period of time.

This after Froilan Kabalican, 22, was caught with P2.7 million of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation on Friday, May 10, in Sitio Ermita, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Gonzales, Police Drug Enforcement Group Visayas (PDEG Visayas) chief, told CDN Digital in an interview on Friday, that Kabalican was caught with 400 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P2.7 million.

Gonzales also said that Kabalican had served time in jail for a year for drugs in 2016 and was released in 2017.

Kabalican’s arrest came a day after Cebu City Police arrested a former tinsmith in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, who was caught with P170,000 of suspected shabu.

Read more: Former tinsmith caught with P170K shabu in Mabolo drug operation

On the Ermita operation, Gonzales said  said that they had placed Kabalican under surveillance for a month after several arrested drug suspects in previous drug operations in the area pointed to Kabalican as allegedly the source of their drugs.

However, he said that they believed that the contact of the source of Kabalican’s drugs was allegedly a person inside the jail.

Kabalican was detained at the PDEG Visayas detention cell pending the filing of charges./dbs