A man who introduced himself as a former policeman and his alleged cohort were arrested in a drug string in barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City.
Roberto Sarsalejo, 50, and Marcelo Llanto, 45, were suspected to be Level 3 drug pushers which means they sell at least 150 grams of shabu per week, police said.
Police said the bust took place in Sarsalejo’s house Thursday night.
In an attempt to wriggle out of the situation, Sarsalejo introduced himself as a former policeman and showed identification cards indicating he was with the 7th Police Center for Aviation Security in Central Visayas (PCAS-7) with a rank of Senior Police Officer 1.
He claimed he was dismissed from service, but would not say why he was sacked from the force.
PCAS, which is based at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, denied having a former operative named Roberto Sarsalejo.
Police said Sarsalejo’s alleged illegal drug activities were tipped off to the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office through an anonymous text message.
A week-long surveillance was rolled out which culminated with their subsequent arrest.
Sarsalejo allegedly yielded a 9mm cal. pistol, a plastic sachet containing white crystalline powder suspected to be shabu (methampethamine hydrochloride), P2,800 cash, P200 in marked currency notes and drug-sniffing paraphernalia while two large plastic packs of suspected shabu worth P48,000 was seized from Llanto.
On Wednesday night, a couple and two siblings were arrested in a drug bust in barangay Mactan, also in Lapu-Lapu City.
Senior Insp. Rogelio Pineda Jr., chief of the City Intelligence Branch of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office identified those arrested as Arnulfo Bautista, 28, and his alleged live-in partner, Myla Bonel, 25 and siblings Jenny and Demy Casinillo.
Four plastic packs suspected to contain P60,000 worth of shabu were seized from the Casinillos who were arrested inside the couple’s house.
Police said it was Bautista who sold a pack of shabu worth P200 to a poseur-buyer. The marked money was later recovered from Bonel.
A separate buy-bust operation led to the arrest of a 50-year-old man in barangay Montaneza, Malabuyoc town, southwest Cebu last Thursday night.
Paterno Dilvestre sold a pack of suspected shabu worth P500 to poseur-buyer when he was arrested, said PO2 Ronyl Allera of the Malabuyoc Police Station.
Five sachets of shabu were seized from Dilvestre’s possession, police said. /With Correspondents Michelle Joy L. Padayhag and Rene F. Alima
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