Suspected drug peddler Jerome Bolton Babao was arrested in a buy-bust operation Tuesday night, March 31, 2020. Photo courtesy of Tisa Daily Bulletin
CEBU CITY, Philippines—He never stopped selling illegal drugs despite the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) here.
Jerome Bolton Babao, 44, was collared by personnel of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU-7) of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) in a buy-bust operation Tuesday night, March 31, 2020, in an alley that was located a few meters away from his residence in Purok Sambag, Barangay Tisa in Cebu City.
Babao possessed 50 grams of suspected shabu worth P340,000, said Police Captain Joffre Dotillos Grande of RDEU-7.
Grande said that Babao, who works a signage maker, was placed under surveillance for two weeks before they sent a poseur buyer to transact with him.
“Nabaw-an ni namo siya kay tungod sa among confidential informant nga bisan pa sa situation karon, sige lang gihapon,” said Grande.
(We learned of his operation from our confidential informant and despite the situation that we are in right now (implementation of the ECQ), he continued with his illegal drug trade.)
Grande said that Babao does not only peddle illegal drugs but also uses it.
The suspect, he said, is now detained at the Cebu City Police Office detention family. He will be made to undergo medical examination prior to the filing of a complaint for the violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 against him./ dcb