Personnel from the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency of Bohol confiscate a total of P40 million worth of suspected shabu from five personalities in separate buy-bust operations on May 25, 2020. | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) is conducting further investigation to determine the source of the illegal drugs confiscated from five individuals arrested in separate buy-bust operations in the island province.
Members of the BPPO together with personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Bohol confiscated at least P40 million worth of suspected shabu from separate buy-bust operations on May 25, 2020.
In a virtual conference, Police Colonel Joselito Clarito, officer-in-charge of the BPPO, narrated that the first operation happened at around 5:45 p.m. in Sitio Antipolo, Barangay Dampas in Tagbilaran City, while the second happened at around 6:45 p.m. in Purok 2, Barangay Tanghaligue, Talibon town.
The first operation, according to Clarito, led to the arrest of Lelit Sinugbojan, 44, of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; Chellomae Curayag Pescura, 34, a resident of Inabanga town in Bohol; Junalyn Abelgas Matora, 33, from Dauis town; and Humprey Millana Cenabre, 33, from Inabanga town.
The four were caught with at least two kilos of suspected shabu worth at least P13.7 million.
The second operation an hour later led to the arrest of Jaime Auxtero Dajao, 44, a resident of Barangay Tanghaligue in Talibon.
Clarito said that four more kilos of suspected shabu were confiscated from Dajao, which has an estimated worth of P27.2 million.
Chinese triad
Clarito said upon inspection, the confiscated drugs were all inside a Chinese tea bag.
“We are still conducting interrogation [to find out where the drugs came from],” said Clarito.
Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), is suspecting that the illegal drugs came from the Chinese triad, which means the drugs are not originally from the province.
He noted that the packaging of the illegal drugs are the same with those confiscated from buy-busts at the National Capital Region in 2019.
Ferro said they will continue to coordinate with other regions in terms of exchanging information about possible shipment of illegal drugs entering the provinces of Central Visayas. /bmjo