Mambaling buy-bust: Cabbie, lineman caught with P748K shabu

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A cabbie or taxi driver and a lineman, who allegedly moonlight as drug traders, were caught with P748,000 worth of suspected shabu during a police anti-drug operation in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City at dawn on Sunday, February 7.

Rolando Co, 48; and Jaypee Petilo, 32, who are both residents of Sitio Puntod, Barangay Mambaling, were arrested during a buy-bust operation in Co’s house at 3 a.m. today, said Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, head of the intelligence unit of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) in a phone interview.

Co, a taxi driver; and Petilo, a lineman, who both reside in Sitio Puntod, were caught with 110 grams of suspected shabu during the dawn operation.

Caballes said that the confiscated drugs had an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P748,000.

He also tagged both suspects as high value individuals (HVIs) because of the volume of drugs that they could dispose.

He said that both suspects could dispose at least 100 grams of suspected shabu in a week.

Caballes also said that Co and Petilo allegedly used minors as to sell drugs.

“Kana ilahang gipanggamit nga mga pushers kanang minors, kanang sa may Badjaoan sud sa may Puntod,” Caballes stated.

(They use minors as pushers, mainly from Puntod areas where most Badjaos live.)

Caballes also claimed that both suspects admitted purchasing their illegal drugs from an inmate at the Cebu City Jail.

The suspects allegedly claimed that they would call through a cellphone the inmate, who was their neighbor before he was arrested and jailed.

Caballes also said that they coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) in conducting the buy-bust operation against Co and Petilo.

He said that they placed both suspects under surveillance for a week before conducting the operation.

Both suspects were detained at the Mambaling Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges.