Authorities in Bohol province confiscate at least P1 million worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation today, Sept. 11, in Tagbilaran City. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Authorities in Bohol province confiscated at least P1 million worth of suspected shabu in a joint anti-drug operation at past 12 a.m. today, Sept. 11, in Tagbilaran City.
The joint operation also led to the arrest of live-in couple — Cyril Jon Pamaong, 21, and his partner, Charesma Peñaranda, 21, who is a convenience store employee.
Police Major John Kareen Escober, chief of the intelligence unit of Bohol Police Provincial Office, said that Pamaong and Peñaranda had allegedly been engaged in this illegal drug activity since the start of the pandemic or nearly two years already.
Escober said it took them a month of case build-up before they moved in and arrested the couple during a buy-bust operation at 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 in Barangay Dampas, Tagbilaran City.
Operatives from the intelligence unit of Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Bohol confiscated from the couple 23 plastic packs of suspected shabu weighing 250 grams.
Escober said that the estimated market value of the confiscated suspected shabu was P1,020,000.
He said they conducted the operation after they received reports from the community about the illegal drug activities of the live-in couple.
He said that the couple could dispose at least 25 grams of shabu in a week with their market areas covering Tagbilaran City and its adjacent cities and municipalities.
Based on their initial investigation, the source of the live-in couple’s drugs was from the Mindanao area, but their controller, the one who was responsible for disposing these illegal items to distributors, was based in Leyte.
The arrested live-in couple were detained at the Bohol Police Provincial Office detention cell pending the filing of charges.
With the latest arrest, Escober said that the illegal drugs situation in Bohol was already controlled compared to previous years where the drug trade was really prospering.
He also cited the community’s help as a big factor in sustaining their anti-illegal drugs campaign in the province.
RELATED STORIES
20-year-old HVI nabbed with P340K worth of ‘shabu’ in Cebu City
Housemaid nabbed with P170K worth of of ‘shabu’ in Tagbilaran City, Bohol
August haul: CCPO seizes P85M shabu, nabs 163 drug suspects
Two individuals nabbed with nearly P2M worth of ‘shabu’ in Cebu City
/dbs