‘Shabu’ remains most commonly abused drug in Cebu City

At least 10 kilograms of shabu were among the items confiscated by authorities in an anti-drug operation that led to the killing of three suspects in Barangay Taptap, Cebu City on June 10, 2021. | contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office Intelligence Unit (CCPO-CIU) has revealed that ‘shabu’ still remains the most commonly abused drug in Cebu City based on their anti-drug operations conducted this year.

The police issued this statement after they arrested two individuals in possession of at least 121 ampules of suspected ‘nubain’ on June 16, and the confiscation of over P60 million worth of ‘shabu’ from a buy-bust that turned into an armed confrontation last June 10 in a mountain barangay in Cebu City.

READ: 2 Cebu City residents nabbed with 171 ampules of ‘nubain’

According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, chief of the CCPO-CIU, the confiscation of the 10 kilos of ‘shabu’ in Barangay Taptap has lessened the supply in Cebu City alone.

However, he clarified that it only caused a dent since the group affiliated with the slain suspects was just one of the numerous drug groups engaged in the sale of illegal drugs in Cebu.

That’s why Caballes said that drug operations in Cebu City still continue.

“Naa lang siyay gamay nga epekto sa supply nato kay daghan mana sila nga nag supply dinhi sa Cebu. Mao na nga bisan pa naka kuha og dako ang pulis sa drugs, sustained gihapon ang operation kay naa gihapoy daghan nga suppliers,” he said.

However, Caballes admitted that based on their current statistics, he could not provide a true picture of the drug situation in the city since he believes that there are drug tradings that remain invisible to their present monitoring.

“Nag try ta og specific nga data sa daily consumption pero dili siya masulti nato nga mao ni siya ang true picture kay murag high level pa kaayo ang atoang pag assess sa drug supply. Kung specific, one drug user pilay iyang ma consume in one day, in one week, then pilay atoang estimate sa drug users in Cebu City. Atoang statistics dili ingun ana nga concrete nga makaingon gyud ta nga mao gyud ni ang true picture sa drugs,” he added.

Caballes further said that their recent confiscation of nubain is not new since the drug has been around for some time now.

He added that nubain users cover only a small percentage of the total number of drug users.

Based on the statistical analysis of the Dangerous Drugs Board updated last September 2020, methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” remains to be the topmost abused drug comprising 93.72% of their total admission.

Caballes also revealed that they now have the name of the local supplier of the two individuals who were arrested for possessing and selling ‘nubain’ but clarified that the person is not the supplier of their previous apprehension last January 12 in Lapu-Lapu City.

Caballes was referring to the operation conducted by the operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) and the PNP Drug Enforcement Group which resulted in the arrest of a cargo service representative and the confiscation of around P5.4 million worth of ‘nubain’.    /rcg

READ:

Lapu buy-bust yields P5.4M worth of Nubain

CCPO exec: Confiscated 10 kls shabu caused dent in drug supply in Cebu City