CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Guadalupe police have encouraged the barangay officials in their area of responsibility to check the background of their volunteer frontline workers after one was caught with five sachets of suspected shabu in a control point or checkpoint in Harlemermer Bridge, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, at around 2:30 on Sunday, May 3, 2020.
Police Captain Janelito Marquez, Guadalupe Police Station commander, told CDN Digital that he asked the barangay officials to carefully check the background of those volunteer frontliners assigned to guard their sitios as there might be drug personalities who were taking advantage so that they could be able to go around despite the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) restrictions.
“Ang uban nagpa-pretend lang nga volunteer para makapalit gihapon sa ilang drugs (Others will pretend that they are volunteers so that they can buy their illegal drugs),” said Marquez.
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According to Marquez, they recently arrested Rico Gabato Lazarte, 22, from Sitio Sandayong, Barangay Guadalupe, who was caught with five sachets of suspected shabu worth P6,800, when he was asked to show his identification card and quarantine passes after coming from Barangay Kalunasan.
Marquez said that before the arrest, Lazarte headed towards the boundary between Barangay Guadalupe and Kalunasan and told the security in the control point of Harlemermer Bridge that he would be going to his wife who lived not far from the area to ask for some money.
However, when he returned moments later, Marquez said Lazarte was acting “indifferent and suspicious” which alerted the police guarding the area.
“Gipangayoan siya ID, quarantine pass unya kanang paghatag niya sa iyang pass na piit man ang sachet,” said Marquez.
(He was asked for his ID and quarantine pass but then when he gave his pass, the policemen found a sachet of suspected shabu tucked in his folded quarantine pass.)
As of this time, Lazarte is detained in Guadalupe Police station pending the filing of charges for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
Marquez said they would be conducting a follow-up investigation to trace the person whom Lazarte might have brought the drugs from./dbs