Wife, who took over jailed hubby’s drug business, nabbed with P3M shabu
Police arrest wife of a drug personality, who is now in jail, and their alleged hitman after they were caught with 450 grams of suspected shabu worth P3 million during the buy-bust operation in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City at past 10 p.m. on Friday, February 25. | Pegeen Maisie Sararana
Wife, who took over hubby’s drug business, nabbed with P3M shabu during Cebu City bust
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 25-year-old wife, who allegedly took over her jailed husband’s illegal drugs business, also ended up behind bars more than a year after her husband’s arrest in 2020.
This was after she was caught with P3 million worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU-7) in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City on Friday, evening, February 25, 2022.
Her alleged cohort, whom police described as the alleged hitman or alleged triggerman of the arrested husband when the latter was running his illegal business, was also arrested during the police operation.
Regional police identified those arrested as Regine Melorin Garciano, 25, and Steven Lazarraga, 24. Both are residents of Sitio Iba, Barangay Basak in Lapu-Lapu City.
The police said that they confiscated 450 grams of suspected shabu from the suspects and that these had a market value of P3 million.
Aside from that, a homemade .45 caliber pistol was also found in Lazarraga’s possession.
Members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit described Garciano as a high value individual in the regional watch list of drug personalities.
The police said that they claimed that Garciano could dispose of a kilo of shabu in a week in Metro Cebu.
Regional police also said that it took them a month for the case buildup against Garciano.
They also said that Garciano would allegedly coordinate with her husband with regard to the alleged sources of illegal drugs that the former would allegedly sell.
Police also said that Lazarraga was a nephew of the jailed husband and was allegedly his hitman when the former was running the drug business then.
As of this posting, Garciano and Lazarraga are currently detained at the holding facility of the RPDEU-7 for selling and possession of suspected shabu.
Lazarraga will also be facing a complaint for violating the nationwide gun ban and Republic Act 10591 or Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Lapu, Cebu City drug busts
On the same day, February 25, police also arrested three individuals during separate buy-bust operations in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu.
Cebu City policemen arrested Jerryve Pitogo, 33, after he was caught with 28 grams of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation along the road of a road of Barangay Tinago in Cebu City.
Police Master Sergeant Andrew Denila of Police Station 3 or the Waterfront Police Station said that the confiscated suspected shabu had a market value of P190,000.
Denila said that the operation against Pitogo was conducted after his name surfaced during other buy-bust operations in the city.
He said that Pitogo could allegedly dispose from 25 to 50 grams of shabu in a week in Barangay Tinago, Cebu City.
Pitogo was detained at the Waterfront Police Station’s detention cell pending the filing of charges.
On the same night in Lapu-Lapu City, police led by Police Lieutenant Noah Añana also arrested two individuals during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Sitio Camansi, Barangay Pajo this city.
Police identified those arrested as Lito Paclipan, 28, and Michele Baclohan, 20, who are both from Naga City in southern Cebu.
Fifty five grams of suspected shabu, which had a market value of P374,176, were confiscated from the two suspects.
Police said that the suspects were high-value individuals in the city’s watchlist of drug personalities.
Paclipan and Baclohan were detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office holding facility pending the filing of charges.
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