CEBU CITY, Philippines — The peculiar activities of a Korean national and his Filipina wife did them in after these aroused the suspicion of their landlady in Balamban town in western Cebu.
Kang Gyong Yoon, 33, a Korean national; and Drechil Abare Dominguez, 25, his Filipina wife, were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Buanoy in the afternoon of August 30, said Police Major Christian Torres, Balamban police chief, in a phone interview with CDN Digital.
They were caught with nine sachets of suspected shabu.
Torres said that the Kang and Dominguez arrived in town four weeks ago and rented a small house in Barangay Buanoy.
All was well until the landlady noticed something peculiar with the couple, who had their three-year-old child with them.
The landlady, who just lived next door from the house the couple were renting, would notice the couple staying up late at night.
She said that this was peculiar in the barangay because most people there would usually sleep early.
She also found it odd that the couple would frequent the nearby shipbuilding company, which had many foreign workers.
She said that the couple were not connected with the company and neither were they employees there.
The landlady eventually reported this odd behavior of the couple to the barangay captain, who in turn, informed the police about this.
Torres said the barangay chief’s report added to the information that they had received from employees of the company about a couple selling illegal drugs in the premises.
With this, the Balamban police were able to track down the couple “in no time.”
“Pataka ra man sad gud to silag pamaligya. Bisan kinsa ila pamaligyaan hasta pulis (They were not careful to whom they sell the drugs. They would sell to anybody even the police),” said Torres.
The couple was arrested in their rented house in Buanoy, where nine sachets of suspected shabu were confiscated.
Their child was given to the custody of the maternal grandparents, who hailed from Barangay Mambaling in Cebu City.
Background check
Torres said they were coordinating with the Mambaling Police to find out the background of Dominguez and if she was connected to any drug groups in Cebu City.
As for the Korean national, the Balamban Police is trying to reach the South Korean Consulate for coordination.
“Basin apil-apil nig mafia sa South Korea. (Maybe Kang was a part of a mafia in South Korea),” said the police chief.
Torres said charges would be filed against Kang and his wife, which meant Kang could not be easily be deported back to his country until he served his sentence, if he would be convicted.
As for the shipbuilding company, Torres said they had already coordinated with the management to conduct illegal drug-prevention activities inside the company’s compound.
Torres also encouraged landlords to be careful to whom they rent out their spaces.
He said they must do a background check and constantly monitor these new arrivals to the town for any suspicious illegal activities.
“Kailangan gyod namog tabang sa komunidad aron masakpan ning mga dayo nga manganhi lang para mamligyag droga (We need the community’s help to catch foreigners who only come here to sell drugs,” said Torres. /dbs