Central Visayas drug busts: P9.2-M ‘shabu’ seized from 7 arrested suspects

A 43-year-old man was caught with 175 grams of suspected shabu worth P1.1 million during a late night buy-bust operation on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Purok Acacia in Barangay Cotcot, Liloan, Cebu. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 1.4 kilos of ‘shabu’ worth P9.2 million were confiscated in seven buy-bust operations in Central Visayas in a span of 12 hours. 

A total of seven suspected drug personalities were also arrested from these operations that were conducted in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue, in the areas of Cebu province and Negros Oriental from Jan. 28 to 29, 2023.

Police Brigadier General Jerry Bearis, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said  in his report that these successful operations were results of their innovative strategies against illegal drugs.

“This one-day accomplishment demonstrates the PRO-7’s huge progress in innovating strategies in the pursuit of lawless criminals and keeping our community safe,” Bearis said.

Jan 28 drug busts

First to fall was a 40-year-old man, Jeremie Sun, also known as “Opaw,” of Sitio Baktan, Barangay Sapangdaku in Cebu City. Sun was arrested with 600 grams of suspected shabu worth P4 million during a buy-bust operation at past 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Baranagy Subangdaku in Mandaue City.

His arrest was made by the personnel of the City Intelligence Unit and City Drug Enforcement Unit of Mandaue City Police Office.

At past 9 p.m., on the same day, in Compostela town in northern Cebu, police arrested Jason Matugas after he was caught with 52.5 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P357,000. Matugas is a resident of Tuburan, Cebu and was included in the Unified Top 10 Regional Priority Target of the Philippine National Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency or Unified PNP-PDEA Top 10 Regional Priority Target.

At around 10:05 p.m. still on Saturday, Cebu City police arrested a 52-year-old woman, a certain Imelda Merecidio, a resident of Minglanilla town in southern Cebu. Policemen of the Guadalupe Police Station also confiscated =150 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P1 million from Merecidio during a buy-bust operation in  Paseo Arcenas Drive in Brgy. Guadalupe in Cebu City.

An hour after, another suspected drug personality, Bryan Pepito, 43, was arrested with 175 grams of illegal drugs worth P1.1 million in Barangay Cotcot in Liloan town also in northern Cebu. Pepito was also listed in the Unified PNP-PDEA Top 10 Regional Priority Target.

The operation against Pepito was a joint effort of the provincial intelligence and drug enforcement units of the Cebu Police Provincial Office, personnel of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company, the Liloan police, and PDEA-7.

January 29 drug busts

At past midnight on Jan. 29, 2023, an 18-year-old drug suspect was arrested at C. Padilla Street, Brgy. Duljo Fatima, Cebu City. He was caught with 216 grams of ‘shabu,’ which has a market value of P1.4 million .

Mambaling police identified the suspect as Mharjervin Orlanda Abellana, of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.

At around 6:46 in the morning on Jan. 29, Negros Oriental police conducted an anti-drug operation through the implementation of a search warrant at Zone 2, Barangay Looc in Dumaguete City.

The subject was identified as Bergen Aguilar. Authorities recovered 107 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P727,000 from him.

Nearly two hours later, a 38-year-old man from Dalaguete, Cebu, was arrested in Barangay Capitol Site past 8 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29. He was caught with 100 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P680,000 during a buy-bust operation 

Abellana police requested not to divulge the name of the suspect pending their follow-up operation. The suspect was detained at the Abellana Police Station.

READ:

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P4.4-M shabu seized from Talisay, Lapu drug busts

CPPO chief: Drug war progress seen in drug haul – from kilos to 50 grams of shabu

Buy-bust in Consolacion, Cebu yields  P13.6M worth of ‘shabu’

Mandaue cops seize P4.5M shabu, nab 2 HVIs this month

‘High-value’ drug suspect yields P646,000 meth in Lucena City

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