Mandaue Police Station 5 chief: 53 drug suspects nabbed in 3 months

At least 200 grams of suspected shabu worth P1.3 million was confiscated from a former truck boy during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Umapad, Mandaue City at nearly midnight on Saturday, April 2. | Photo courtesy of MCPO Station 5

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A P1.3 million drug haul and the arrest of a former truck boy, who was the 53rd drug suspect arrested since January in the four barangays in Mandaue City, is a strong warning against drug peddlers not to ply their illegal trade in the city especially in those four barangays.

Police Major Philip Libres, Mandaue City Police Station 5 chief, gave this warning after they arrested Bernabe Jabon, 48, during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Umapad this city at nearly midnight of April 2.

Jabon was caught with 200 grams of suspected shabu during the police operation. The illegal drugs had a market value of P1.3 million.

Libres said that Jabon was their 53rd drug suspect arrested since January in the areas of jurisdiction of Police Station 5 which is Barangays Umapad, Looc, Cambaro and Opao.

He said that the operation against Jabon was conducted after his name surfaced from an arrested drug suspect last March 30.

He said that since March 30, they had been trying to transact with Jabon but he was too careful and it was only last night (April 2) that he agreed to meet for a transaction.

Libres said that Jabon claimed that he was communicating with an inmate for the disposal of illegal drugs and that he had been in the drug business for six months already.

The police chief also described Jabon as a high value individual who could allegedly dispose at least 200 to 300 grams of shabu in a week.

Libres said Jabon would allegedly sell these in areas in Mandaue and Consolacion town where Jabon was temporarily renting a house.

He also belied the assumption that illegal drugs were rampant in the areas under the Police Station 5 jurisdiction as seen with this 53 arrests.

“Sa among area dili man. Naa lang gud uban nga namaligya pero makuha man nato kay ang BADAC nato active man,” Libres said.

(In our area, it is not. There are just people who sell illegal drugs but we had arrested them because the BADACs [Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council] here are really active.)

He also warned those planning to sell illegal drugs in the city to stop it or they would be caught and jailed.

READ: Woman caught with P6.8M worth of ‘shabu’ in Mandaue City