PDEA-7 operatives arrested seven individuals in a drug den in Sitio Lutaw-Lutaw in Barangay Tisa. | PDEA-7 photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines –In a span of two hours, agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) collared a total of 12 drug suspects in separate buy-bust operations that were made in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on Saturday, February 4.
Agents also seized 123 grams of suspected shabu worth P836, 400, according to Leia Alcantara, PDEA-7’s information officer.
In addition, two drug dens that were located in the interior of Barangay Tisa were dismantled, Alcantara added.
PDEA-7 first raided a drug den in Sitio Lutaw-Lutaw at around 4:30 p.m. and arrested seven individuals including the alleged drug den operator, whom she identified as Antonio Laput, 42.
The other arrested individuals were Mary Jane Medece, 22; Marites Geoman, 24; Ronnie Saleno Jr., 44; brothers Tereso, 41, and Wesley Villaver, 50; and the latter’s cousin, Ricky Villaver, 31.
Agents confiscated three packs of suspected shabu weighing around 13 grams and worth P88, 400 from Laput’s drug den.
Two cousins were nabbed with P340,00 worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Purok 3 Pag-iisa in Barangay Tisa. | PDEA-7 photo
At about 6:30 p.m. of the same day, another team of PDEA-7 operatives also carried out a buy-bust operation in Purok 3 Pag-iisa, still in Barangay Tisa, which resulted to the arrest of cousins Marlon Saballa, 40, and Neco Saballa, 24.
The two were nabbed with two packs of shabu weighing 50 grams and worth around P340,000.
Three men were nabbed with 60 grams of ‘shabu’ worth P408,000 during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Tisa on Saturday. | PDEA-7
Shortly thereafter, three more individuals were nabbed in the same area with 60 grams of shabu worth P408,000.
The arrest was made inside a suspected drug den, Alcantara said. Arrested were Wayne Godinez, 25 and the alleged house owner and drug den operator; his brother, Wendel, 18; and George Caburnay, 18 .
All of the 12 arrested individuals are now at the holding facility of the PDEA-7 while agents prepare for the filing of illegal drug charges against them.
The dismantling of drug dens, Alcantara said, is crucial to keeping peace and order in the barangays.
She said that Barangay Tisa is considered as a seriously drug-affected barangay in Cebu City with the presence of drug dens there.
But the Barangay Anti-Drug Council is very active in working with authorities to address the illegal drug problem in their area.
In fact, Alcantara said, the successful operations that they had on Saturday stemmed from information that they received from concerned residents, supported by PDEA-7’s intelligence network.
The drug dens in Barangay Tisa were already the 5th and 6th that they dismantled this year, Alcantara said.
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