A businessman, who also works as a graphic designer, was arrested during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Cangmalalas, Larena, Siquijor on Thursday afternoon, March 7, 2024. | PDEA-7 Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A businessman, who moonlights as a an alleged drug peddler to earn extra money on the side, ended up in jail instead.
This happened after police caught him with 3.5 grams of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Cangmalalag, Larena town, in Siquijor Province on Thursday afternoon, March 7, 2024.
READ: P204,000 shabu seized in drug busts in Cebu City, Negros Or. – PDEA-7
The suspect was identified as 50-year-old Leonel Olwen Opsima, a resident of Barangay 6, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Opsima was reportedly in Siquijor at the time for his work.
Opsima makes a living as a businessman in the travel and tours industry, and a graphic designer.
The operation was conducted by operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Siquijor Provincial Office together with the Drug Enforcement Unit of Larena Municipal Station.
READ: Job order employee in Brgy. Mambaling caught with P34,000 ‘shabu’
At around 5:30 p.m., Opsima was arrested and caught in possession of 5 packs of suspected shabu weighing 3.5 grams.
The confiscated shabu had an estimated average market value of P23,800.
In addition to this, they also recovered one mobile phone and other non-drug evidence during the operation.
According to a report from PDEA-7, the pieces of drug evidence have been submitted for chemical analysis and proper disposition.
READ: Brothers from Bohol nabbed with P68M shabu in Carreta buy-bust
Leia Alcantara, PDEA-7 spokesperson, said that the suspect was a newly identified drug personality.
She added that Opsima can typically dispose of 3-5 grams of illegal drugs every week.
Furthermore, the information on Opsima’s activities came from a confidential informant and they spent a week for the case buildup.
As of this writing, the suspect is in the custody of authorities pending the filing of appropriate charges against him.
PDEA-7, in the report, revealed said they would be filing charges of possession and selling of dangerous drugs against him.
ALSO READ: 4 drug suspects yield shabu worth P23.8M in Cavite