Cebu City buy-bust: ‘Big-time’ drug dealer, 15, nabbed by police

File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – At only 15-years-old, a boy from Cebu City was discovered to be a big-time player in the drug industry and was caught with illegal drugs worth P340,000 on Tuesday evening, March 18. 

The minor, who is a Grade 8 student, was rescued during an anti-illegal drugs operation in Sitio Puntod, Brgy. Mambaling, Cebu City.

Personnel of the Special Drug Enforcement Unit of the Mambaling Police Station conducted the drug bust at 9:10 p.m., targeting a bigtime drug personality in the area.

READ: Mandaue drug bust: Minor caught with P13.6M ‘shabu’

Upon the arrest, however, officers discovered that the suspect was a minor.  

They took the boy into custody and seized 50 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P340,000 from his possession.  

READ: 14-year-old ‘drug runner’ rescued in Cebu City

Minor nabbed

Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy director for Operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that minor is tagged as a high-value individual (HVI).

As of this writing, he remains with the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) while waiting for the issuance of a certificate of discernment. 

READ: 4 minors rescued, female drug peddlers nabbed, P1 million worth of drugs seized in Cebu City

Through this process, DSWS personnel will assess whether the minor is aware of his criminal actions and identify the proper intervention for him.  

Once the certificate is issued, the minor will be charged for the sale and possession of illegal drugs.

Investigation

Moreover, Macatangay said that an investigation was ongoing to identify the minor’s source of illegal drugs. Police are also looking deeper into his background. 

According to Macatangay, the minor’s active involvement in the drug industry in spite of his young age is a cause for alarm among law enforcement units. 

“It still caused alarm because sa type man of transaction that he’s doing. Maconsider namo siya sa atoang categorization as high-value individual,” she stated.

(It is still a cause for alarm because of the type of transaction that he is doing.  We can consider him, under our categorization, as a high-value individual.)