Policemen in Cebu City confiscated close to P50 million worth of suspected shabu from three high-value individuals during a buy-bust operation early on Sunday morning, September 20, 2020. | Alven Marie Timtim
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Close to P50 million worth of suspect shabu were intercepted by policemen in Cebu City before these could be distributed locally.
Quoting intelligence information, Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said that the shabu came from San Carlos City, Negros Oriental, and was shipped to Cebu through the Toledo City port.
Ferro said that the shabu was said to be owned by drug lord Rustico Ygot who was arrested on May 10, 2010, and is currently detained at the Zamboanga Penal Colony.
Operatives of the City Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) also arrested three high-value individuals who were responsible for the pickup of the supply and its local distribution.
Arrested were Rolando Ondoy Romeo, 32; Edward Ondoy Romeo, 24; and Calvin Hermoso Valdez, 42, who are all residents of Andres Abellana Extension, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Rolando and Edward are brothers while Valdez, the driver of the Toyota Vios which they used in transporting the shabu, is married to a nurse who works in a government hospital here.
The three were arrested in a buy-bust operation at the Tipolo bridge in Barangay Guadalupe at around 7 a.m. this Sunday. The three were supposed to meet with a poseur buyer to deliver shabu when arrested by the police.
Police confiscated packs of suspected shabu weighing around seven kilos and worth P47.6 million that were placed inside tea bags.
Ferro said that the shabu packaging was similar to those that were confiscated in earlier police operations. Shabu with this kind of packaging is believed to have come from the “golden triad,” a drug syndicate that is based in Southeast Asian countries.
“Based on the packaging this maybe from Myanmar,” said Ferro.
However, police are yet to determine when the shipment arrived in Cebu and its exact volume.
Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that the shabu was addressed to Rolando.
“It came from San Carlos City. The items were said to be picked up by Rolando at the Toledo City port,” Ligan said.
Ligan said that they have been monitoring shabu shipments that are coming from Ygot for at least two months now and were able to trace Rolando as its receiver.
In a separate interview, Mayor Edgardo Labella commended the police for their successful anti-illegal drug campaign despite their need to also attend to other tasks during the pandemic. / dcb