Raymund Camacho was nabbed with P748,000 worth of ‘shabu’ during a buy-bust operation in Talisay City, Saturday night, Oct. 8. | Photo courtesy of Talisay City Police Station
CEBU CITY, Philippines –A man, who used to be a police asset, and two Cebu City residents were nabbed with P918,000 worth of ‘shabu’ in two separate buy-bust operations in Talisay, Saturday night, October 8.
The arrests of the three individuals were connected since suspects Kynneth Diola, 27, and Anthony Castro, 47, would get their supply from Raymund Camacho, a former police asset.
Diola and Castro, who are both from Barangay Basak San Nicolas in Cebu City, were the first to be arrested at about 8 p.m. An hour later, police also collared Camacho.
Talisay police recovered suspected shabu worth P748,000 from the possession of the 33-year-old Camacho in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Dumlog. The suspect is also a resident of the same barangay.
Police also recovered a .45 pistol from the suspect’s possession during his arrest.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, chief of Talisay City Police Station, Camacho used to be a police asset. He formed a group consisting of armed men who would pretend to be law enforcers and conduct operations against drug personalities. They operate in the neighboring cities of Cebu and Talisay.
Caballes said group members would allegedly confiscate illegal drugs, cash, and the service vehicle of their subjects. They would then recycle the shabu and dispose of the vehicles prior to their release.
According to Caballes, Camacho also has a cyber libel case that remains pending in one of the courts in Cebu City. But he is yet to look into the details of the case.
Based on their investigation, Camacho is able to dispose at least 150 grams of shabu per week. He would source his supply through a certain Ian Paul, a detainee at the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan.
Earlier on Saturday, Talisay police also arrested two Cebu City residents for the possession of 25 grams of suspected shabu worth P170,000 in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Poblacion.
According to Caballes, Diola and Castro would take their supply from Camacho.
Caballes said the two were jailed earlier for drug-related offenses. Diola was arrested in April 2022 by Mandaue City police but was released in June after he posted bail.
Castro, on the other hand, was arrested by Dumanjug police in 2006 but was later on freed after his case was ordered dismissed by the court.
Upon their release from jail, the two returned to peddling illegal drugs. They were monitored by Talisay City police for at least two months prior to the conduct of the buy-bust operation Saturday night.
Caballes said that all three suspects are currently detained at the Talisay City Police Station’s detention cell while they prepare for the filing of charges against them.
READ: Police asset, cohort busted: P300K shabu seized during Cebu City buy-bust
/dcb