Sinas: recent drugs seized in Cebu traced to Marawi-based syndicate

Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas, the director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said that a Marawi-based drug syndicate is responsible for the entry of about 50 kilos of shabu in Cebu. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police Brigadier Debold Sinas, the director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said that another syndicate has manage to rule the roost in Cebu by succeeding to deliver at least 50 kilos of shabu (crystal meth) in the recent weeks.

Sinas said this is “not exactly” a new syndicate since it is based in one of three major groups in Cebu that has been ruling since before the recent election period, but were suddenly quiet in the last few months leading to the May 2019 elections.

This syndicate, which Sinas did not name, moved outside of Cebu since the heat of the anti-drug operations and managed to take roots in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The Marawi-based syndicate still operates mainly in Cebu, sourcing the drugs from Metro Manila and distributing all over the country. Their business in Cebu was however thwarted as the police were able to recover P170 million worth of illegal drugs in August 2019 alone.

PRO-7 confiscated at least 14 kilos of shabu worth P96 million and P80 million worth of marijuana stalks last month.

From September 1 to 10, 2019, the PRO-7 confiscated 8.6 kilos of shabu worth P58.7 million and also uprooted  22 kilos of marijuana stalks worth P58.8 million, for a total of P117.5 million worth of drugs seized during the first ten days of September.

Sinas said this means the drug groups are fully active now, four months after the elections, when drug activities seemed to have quiet down.

“Yung mga gihoard nila na shabu pag election gidistribute na nila run. (The shabu they were hoarding last elections are now being distributed),” said Sinas.

Sinas said they are continuously monitoring the movements of these drug groups, even if it has recently become more difficult. In police operations, only the couriers were usually caught, no matter how large the haul were.

The most recent drug haul was from a woman courier, who was caught in Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City, with P12 million worth of shabu on September 10.

Sinas said they are now coordinating with the police in Marawi City in order to trace the source of the drugs and destroy the syndicate.

He also said they will continue to intensify their anti-illegal drugs operations in order to “make a dent” in the supply of illegal drugs entering Cebu and other provinces in Central Visayas. /elb