2 men nabbed in Lapu-Lapu buy-bust with over a million worth of ‘shabu’

Two men from Barangay Suba in Cebu City were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Lapu-Lapu City late night on Friday, June 4. | Photo from LLCPO_CIU

CEBU CITY, Philippines –Tips coming from residents in the area led to the arrest of two drug suspects late night on Friday, June 4, at the Old Street, Sangi New Road in Barangay Pajo in Lapu-Lapu City.

Personnel of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) recovered suspect shabu worth P1.1 million from the possession of the two men who are both residents of Barangay Suba in Cebu City.

The two were unable to resist arrest after they were surrounded by the police, says Police Lieutenant Noah Añana, chief of the City Drug Enforcement Unit.

Quoting tips that they have been getting, Añana said that Joan “Chony” Alce, 31, and Orvel Castro, 31, would often the vicinity of the Old Street to sell illegal drugs.

Añana said the two are listed as high-value individuals at the city level.

He said that Alce would hand the shabu to their buyers while Castro collects the payment.

Alarmed by their presence, concerned citizens have been sending the police with tips on their illegal drugs operation in the last two weeks.

The buy-bust operation at about 11 p.m. on Friday was planned after two weeks of placing the two under surveillance, Añana said.

Their operation resulted to the confiscation of 170 grams of suspected shabu worth at least P1.1 million and the arrest of the two suspects.

Aside from selling illegal drugs in Lapu-Lapu City, both men would also deliver shabu to buyers in the neighboring cities of Cebu and Mandaue during their year-long operation.

“Sa kadako sa volume nga na confiscate sa ilaha, basin a year or hapit na year siguro,” he added.

(Considering the volume of the shabu that we have confiscated, we suspect that they have been in operation for at least a year now.)

But he clarified that the two arrested individuals are mere couriers who receive P2, 000 to P4, 000 for every successful transaction.

They continue to hunt their supplier of illegal drugs, Añana said.

During their interrogation, the two admitted that they supply their shabu from a detainee.

But he already begged off from providing additional information on the drug supplier because of their ongoing investigation.

During their background check, they also found out that the two men were detained in 2016 and 217 after they were also arrested for illegal drugs, but were released in 2019 after they agreed to plea bargain.

Alce was detained at the Sawang Calero Police Station and Mambaling Police Station when he was arrested twice in 2017 while Orvel was jailed in 2016 at the Sawang Calero Police Station.

The two men are now detained at the LLCPO detention facility while police prepare for the filing of appropriate charges against them.

Last month, Lapu-Lapu City police also arrested a courier for possession of P13 million worth of illegal drugs. / dcb

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