P4.5M shabu seized; 4 persons nabbed in weekend drug busts in Cebu City

These are part of the suspected shabu confiscated from Arnold Resurection during a buy-bust operation in Barangay San Nicolas on Saturday evening. | Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two separate anti-illegal drug operations in a span of eight hours over the weekend in Cebu City yielded P4.5 million of suspected shabu and netted four persons, one of whom was considered by the police as a high value target.

At past 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, in Barangay San Nicolas, police arrested Arnold Resurection, a resident of the barangay, after he was caught with half a kilo of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation, said Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Mayam, Philippine Drug Enforcement Group Visayas chief, during an interview with CDN Digital.

Mayam said that the six large packs of suspected shabu confiscated from Resurection had an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P3.4 million.

He said that they had monitored the suspect for three weeks after they got information about the his illegal activities from a suspected drug courier in one of their anti-illegal drug operations in the past month.

He said that they learned that the suspect was allegedly a drug user, a drug courier and was allegedly linked to a group headed by a drug lord operating within the city.

Mayam, however, refused to name the suspected drug lord that Resurection was linked to.

Resurection was detained at the Abellana Police Precinct detention cell pending the filing of charges.

These are the three suspects who were caught with P1.1 million worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City on Sunday morning. |Benjie Talisic

At past 4 a.m. on Sunday, April 14, three persons were arrested including one, whom police considered a high value target in a buy-bust operation in a rented apartment in a subdivision in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City.

Archie Abellana also known as Archie Bayot, 39, of Barangay Suba in Cebu City; Marjory Arriesgado, 33, of Sitio Cabotoy, Barangay Pooc in Talisay City; and Lendon Gonzaga, 37, of Barangay Bulacao in Cebu City; were arrested after they were caught with P1.1 million worth of suspected shabu, said Police Major Regino Maramag, Pardo Police Precinct chief, in a separate interview with CDN Digital.

Maramag said that Abellana, allegedly was the head of a drug syndicate and who had been in and out of jail while his two alleged cohorts, Arriesgado and Gonzaga were allegedly Abellana’s trusted aides and couriers.

He said that they confiscated 168.14 grams of suspected shabu from the suspects which had an estimated DDB value of P1.1 million.

The suspects were detained at the Pardo Police Precinct detention cell pending the filing of charges./dbs