MORE SURRENDERERS. A police official of the Carcar City Police Station speaks to the 100 plus drug users and peddlers, who turned themselves in to the police in Carcar City last week. This batch is among the 363 people who surrendered last week.
Three separate drug-related cases were filed before the Regional Trial Court against a woman apprehended by the police in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City.
The accused, Lucia C. Leonado, also known as Lucy Rondina was charged with maintaining a drug den, a non-bailable offense; illegal possession of 106.56 grams of shabu, another non-bailable offense; and illegal possession of drug paraphernalia, a bailable offense, with bail set at P40,000.
All these charges are violations of different sections of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The joint affidavit of the arresting officers, who are members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) stated that they received a report on June 26 that Leonado maintained a drug den in Barangay Carreta, on the first floor of a house made of light materials.
According to the police informant, a person can buy shabu there for P150 to P200 and use the place to take the shabu bought.
During surveillance, the PDEA operatives were able to confirm that the place was really used as a drug den and noticed that there were people using shabu inside.
After securing a search warrant from Judge Wilfredo Fiel Navarro of RTC Branch 19, the PDEA operatives raided the house on June 30, during which they were able to apprehend Leonado together with nine other persons who were seen inside the drug den using shabu.
Leonado and the nine other persons nabbed during the operation tried to elude arrest after being informed by the PDEA agents that they would search the area.
However, all of them were cornered by the arresting officers as there was no other way out of the house other than the door where the PDEA agents were standing. Other possible exits were blocked by the PDEA agents.
The police recovered several drug paraphernalia, four small plastic sachets and another four large plastic sachets containing alleged shabu.
The nine alleged drug den visitors, later on identified as Rutchell L. Abella, Renato G. Flordeliz, Frankelino T. Basilliote, Reymond R. Ligan, Maria Nieves J. Carinea, Archie C. Sarmiento, Jason B. Herciaio, Renante P. Gitgano and Oscar R. Enecio, were also charged before the RTC. Bail was set at P200,000 each.