CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 25-year-old high-value individual, who fronted as a ‘habal-habal’ driver was apprehended during a buy-bust operation with 106 grams of suspected ‘shabu’ worth P720,800 in Spolarium St. in Barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City, around 10 p.m. on Thursday, April 8.
Police identified the suspect as Jennofer Lagahid.
The operation was conducted by the Cebu City Drug Enforcement Unit of Cebu City Police Office (CDEU-CCPO).
According to Police Major Jonathan Beethoven Taneo, chief of CDEU, Lagahid was included in the Regional level database of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in selling illegal drugs. He was put under surveillance for at least two weeks before the operation was conducted on Thursday.
Quoting their initial investigation, Taneo said that Lagahid was engaged in illegal drug trading for half a year already.
“Gigamit niya nga front as habal-habal driver para disposal ug drugs sa area, unya kay di naman kaayo mabantayan ang mga ing-ani nga type of (drug) personalities mao tung nakapadayon syag padako sa iyang duwa,” Taneo said.
(He moonlights as ‘habal-habal’ driver to dispose of illegal drugs in the area. This way and type of drug personality will not be easily noticed. That is why he was able to continue his illicit transactions.)
Taneo added that they are now looking after the possible cohorts of Lagahid and his source of illegal drugs.
“Pero sa pagkakaron dili pa lang nato ma divulge, pero naa ni syay mga kauban ani nga iyahang mga disposal samot na nga naabot na ug 100 grams iyang mga gipang dula,”said Taneo.
(But for now, we are cannot divulge the identity of his cohorts yet. However, he surely has cohorts given that he can already dispose of 100 grams in his transactions.)
“Pero sa iyang status,most likely for a short period, kusog gyud iyahang mga items mao ng dali sad sya nga nakapadako sa iyang duwa,”he added.
Taneo disclosed that Lagahid’s areas of disposal include Barangays Pasil, Labangon, and Pardo.
READ: 19 nabbed in Mambaling for illegal drugs
Meanwhile, the CCPO has considered the dismantling of at least five drug dens in Barangay Mambaling ‘alarming’.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla made this assessment after five drug dens were dismantled by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency last Wednesday, April 7.
With this, Parilla said that they will also strictly monitor the other barangays in the city for the possible presence of drug dens.
Parilla disclosed that at present, all 80 barangays in Cebu City are drug-affected whether these are lightly affected, moderately affected, and severely affected.
He said that most mountain barangays in Cebu City have low drug affectation while most of the severely affected barangays are found in the city proper. /rcg