P3.5M ‘shabu’ seized from call center agent in Lapu-Lapu City buy-bust

Police arrested a call center agent with P3.5 million worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pajo in Lapu-Lapu City on Monday evening, January 2, 2023. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Call center agent Francis Valendez, 35, was released from jail in October 2022 after he posted bail for a drug-related offense.

But he was again arrested in a buy-bust operation Monday night, Jan 2, 2023, for the possession of P3.5 million worth of suspected shabu.

And he is now in deep trouble because of the volume of the drug that was confiscated from his possession.

Police Major Joey Bicoy, chief of the City Intelligence Unit of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO), said Valendez is a high value individual (HVI) who is able to dispose 50 to 100 grams of suspected shabu to buyers in the neighboring cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu.

Bicoy said they do not discount the possibility that Valendez would also supply illegal drugs to fellow call center agents.

Police Colonel Elmer Lim, the LLCPO director, said they continue to conduct follow up operations to identify  the source of the ‘shabu’ that Valendez sells.

Buy-bust

The police operation on Monday was made at about 8:35 p.m. in Barangay Pajo in Lapu-Lapu City, where the suspect agreed to meet with the police poseur buyer.

His arresting officers confiscated 12 sachets of ‘shabu’ weighing 525 grams and worth around P3.5 million from the possession of Valendez, a resident of Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City.

The drugs were placed in a blue bag.

According to Bicoy, they sent a poseur buyer to purchase 25 grams of shabu from the suspect, who agreed to meet with his client in Barangay Pusok.  But he later on changed his mind and told the buyer to meet him in Barangay Pajo where he was arrested.

Monday’s buy-bust operation was led by Police Captain Noah Añana under the supervision of Police Major Aibert Samson, chief of the City Drug Enforcement Unit and Major Bicoy.

Bicoy said the operation against Valendez was planned after they also arrested last December 29, 2022  a certain Kyle Castro of Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City.

Castro, who was arrested with 50 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P340,000 in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Pusok, named Valendez as his alleged supplier.

RELATED STORIES:

Lapu-Lapu, Talisay drug busts net 2 Cebu City residents, yield P408,000 shabu

HVI from Mandaue nabbed with P1M worth of ‘shabu’ in Lapu-Lapu buy-bust

Woman yields P34M ‘shabu’ in Lapu drug bust

/dcb