Shabu worth P8M seized in separate buy-busts in Cebu

Operatives led by PDEA-7 personnel arrested a barangay tanod (village watchman) in a buy-bust operation in Balamban town, Cebu early Thursday morning, August 20, 2020. P60,000 worth of illegal drugs were confiscated from the suspect. | Photo courtesy of PDEA – 7

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) continue their crackdown on illegal drugs with an P8 million drug haul on at least three separate operations in three days last week.

Aside from that police and PDEA-7 also arrested 11 individuals in these operations from August 18 to 20. These were also conducted a few days after PDEA-7 confiscated P81 million worth of suspected shabu placed inside boxes of LED lights.

The Hipodromo buy-bust operation yielded the biggest drug haul for the week after Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) in Central Visayas and the Cebu City Policue Office confiscated a kilo of suspected shabu with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P6.8 million.

The buy-bust operation in Barangay Hipodromo also netted three men, who were described to be members of a big time drug group operating in Cebu and other neighboring areas of the province.

Also on the same day, police also arrested a barangay tanod during a Balamban buy-bust operation.

Meanwhile, in Barangay Luz, Cebu City, PDEA-7 agents conducted another buy-bust on August 19.

The operation led to the death of the suspect after he engaged PDEA-7 agents in a shootout.

The PDEA-7 agents in that operation confiscated P340,000 of suspected shabu from the suspect.

The other operations were conducted on the evening of August 19 in Cansojong, Talisay City, which led to the arrest of six drug personalities and confiscation of illegal drugs worth P136,000.

Still on August 19, in Barangay Calamba, Cebu City, police also confiscated during a buy-bust operation P714,000 worth of suspected shabu. 

PDEA-7,-Police coordination

PDEA-7 Director Levi Ortiz, in previous interviews told the media that the drug traders were starting to go back to their usual business after the easing of the quarantine status of Cebu City.

Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) agreed with Ortiz . That after the announcement of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in the city, several arrests of high-value target (HVT) were made both by PDEA-7 and the police.

Read: Food delivery service driver caught with P6.8M shabu

Read: Guadalupe bust yields P7M shabu, nets two HVTs

Both Ortiz and Ligan assured that they would be coordinating with each other for monitoring and sharing of information on drug personalities to be able to intercept deliveries of contraband most especially in Cebu City.

Ortiz had ordered his personnel to conduct more random patrols in ports and warehouses to also check cargos being shipped after the interception of the recent illegal drugs delivered through a courier express.

Read: Receiver of cargo found with P81.6M worth of drugs now in hiding

Meanwhile, Ligan had recently been ordered to thoroughly inspect packages and other items transported by delivery service motorcycle driver when passing by checkpoint controls in the city.

The recent buy-bust involving a motorcycle rider of the delivery service company was caught with illegal drugs./dbs