With latest P7M drug haul, Cebu City Police Office chief targets shabu suppliers

Caption: At least P7 million worth of illegal drugs were confiscated from two separate buy-bust operations conducted by the Mambaling police. | Contributed photo — Mambaling Police

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police will focus on the suppliers of the illegal drug trade in the city so that they can cut off the supply of the small time drug peddlers.

Police Colonel Geovanie Maines, Cebu City Police Office officer-in-charge, said this amid at least P7 million worth of illegal drugs they confiscated in a span of at least an hour on late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

“We have to cut the roots,” said Maines in a press briefing on November 28, 2019.

He said that they were gathering data from the drug operations where large amounts of suspected shabu were confiscated and were investigating from where the supply came from.

Maines also said with this they were investigating if the P7 million worth of illegal drugs or more than a kilo of suspected shabu confiscated came from Manila especially since the packaging was similar to that shipment of suspected shabu placed in tea bags that they confiscated during a bloody drug operation in Mandaue Reclamation Area in Mandaue City last August 2019.

Read more: Illegal drugs worth P78.2 million seized in buy-bust operation in Mandaue City

He said that there were two buy-bust operations late Wednesday night (November 27) and early Thursday morning (November 28) in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City.

The first buy-bust operation of the Mambaling Police Station police officers at past 11 p.m. on Wednesday under the Kinalumsan Bridge where they confiscated an estimated 940 grams of suspected shabu and arrested siblings Lewis Manilong Lacida, 36; Hazel Lacida Ablao, 39.

Police Captain Francis Renz Talosig, chief of Mambaling police, told reporters that the target was originally Lewis Lacida but they arrested his older sister after they found evidence of her allegedly being a cohort of her brother.

Talosig said that the confiscated shabu from the Lacida siblings had an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P6.3 million.

Talosig said that Lacida allegedly admitted being in the drug trade for five months now.

He told Talosig that he did not know the name of the supplier since the drugs were allegedly sent to them through a person, whom they did not know the name and who would meet them in a specific place, where they would receive the illegal drugs.

Talosig said that once Lacida would receive the illegal drugs, he would now be responsible for their distribution.

“Hagbongan ra siya unya contacon siya (He was the person, where they would drop off the illegal drugs and he would just be contacted when they would do that),” said Talosig.

He said that Lacida would usually dispose the illegal drugs around Barangays Pasil and Ermita.

An hour after the first operation at past 1 a.m., the Mambaling police then arrested the Membrillos couple — Manuelito Membrillos, 38; and Cherrie Ven Membrillos, 34 — along C. Padilla Street, Barangay Mambaling, after they were caught with 105 grams of suspected shabu with a DDB value of P714,000.

The four suspects were detained at the Mambaling Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges./dbs