FIVE men allegedly involved in selling illegal drugs were arrested and packs of suspected shabu worth at least P300,000 were seized in three buy-bust operations in Lapu-Lapu City.
Arrested were Neil Van Montebon, 36; Gerrod Albarracin, 32; Juanita Sadili, 39; Joegen Apa, 19; and Rey Malingin, 42.
First to fall was Montebon who was arrested past 3 p.m. Tuesday in sitio Sacred Heart in barangay Gun-ob, said Insp. Judith Besas, officer-in-charge of the City Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operation Task Group (CAIDSOTG) of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office.
Recovered from Montebon were three packs of suspected shabu worth P60,000, police said.
The second arrest was made in sitio Mahayahay, barangay Bankal where Malingin allegedly sold a pack of shabu to a poseur-buyer around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Police said Malingin’s alleged cohort identified as Ariel Patalinghug eluded arrest.
Malingin yielded four sachets believed to contain shabu.
Albarracin, Sadili and Apa were arrested past 3 a.m. yesterday in sitio Kawayan, Gun-ob arresting Albarracin, Sadili and Apa.
Police said 16 packs of suspected shabu and drug-sniffing paraphernalia were seized in the Kawayan operation.
Police said Sadili was found possessing the P400 buy bust money that police confiscated
In Cebu City, a man was arrested after police found packs of suspected shabu worth P60,000 in his house in sitio Mahayahay, barangay Calamba.
Police described Jonard Beldad, 29, a level three drug pusher.
Police raided the man’s house based on the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Gilbert Moises Branch 18.
Senior Insp. Chuck Barandog said Beldad has a pending warrant of arrest for possession of drug-sniffing paraphernalia.
Also arrested was Beldad’s mother-in-law, Edna Suico, who was caught possessing counterfeit bills and drug paraphernalia.
Suico told police that the fake bills belonged to his live-in partner who was not around when police arrived.