Two persons were arrested while they were repacking shabu inside a shanty in a compound located along the highway in sitio Aroma, barangay Pulangbato in Cebu City.
Jovanni Papas and Jonas Bontuyan were brought to the emergency room of North General Hospital after they sustained gunshot wounds during a shootout with police who went to the area.
Mark Maramba, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operations chief, said they were supposed to conduct a buy bust operation there and their target was suspected drug pusher Randy Miñoza.
The PDEA agents were surprised to see Miñoza inside a shanty located near his home.
Pot sessions
On seeing the agents, Miñoza, Papas and Bontuyan opened fire, forcing the PDEA to call for assistance from the Talamban police.
Miñoza escaped through a passage inside his house during the shootout.
The police later arrested Papas and Bontuyan and found another shanty in the compound that was supposedly used for pot sessions.
Recovered from the shanty were drug paraphernalia like tin foils, lighters and plastic sachets containing shabu, one plastic bag filled with marijuana leaves, several .45 pistols and ammunition.
Also arrested was 33-year-old Kerwin Leyson, who claimed to be only visiting Miñoza.
A 73-year old man who requested anonymity said Miñoza had been peddling drugs in the area for two years.
He said ever since Miñoza bought the compound, the area was no longer peaceful.