Student, JO employee among eight arrested in Mandaue City drug busts

Christopher Siton of Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City is among the eight arrested in separate operations in Mandaue City on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. | contributed photo

Mandaue City, Cebu—Eight persons were arrested in separate drug operations by the police in Mandaue City on Wednesday, September 4, 2019.

Among those arrested was a student who engaged police in a car chase, and a job order employee of the Mandaue city government.

The one that made noise was the arrest of 38-year-old Jason Villa, who is a student of a university in Barangay Banilad here.

Villa was arrested Wednesday morning by elements of the Canduman Police Station (Station 6) led by Police Major Hugo Rio Ipong after a brief car chase along AS Fortuna Street. 

Read: Police collar drug suspect after brief car chase in Mandaue City

Villa was wounded after the shootout and is currently recuperating at a private hospital. 

Police recovered an estimated 5 grams of suspected shabu and a .38 revolver from the suspect, who is from Capitol Site in Cebu City.

The arrest of Villa was made possible after the Canduman police received a tip from Rene Jay Patigayon, 35, who was arrested Wednesday dawn for illegal drugs.

Another operation later in the day by personnel from the Basak Police Station led by Police Major James Conaco led to the arrest of Ramil Gitgano, 43, and his cousin Renante Gitgano, 43, at Zone Sibuyas of Barangay Paknaan.

Confiscated were six small sachets of suspected shabu.  

Renante Gitgano admitted he is currently working as a Job Order employee of the Mandaue City Government assigned at the Paknaan Barangay Hall.

At past 7 p.m., drug surrenderer Christopher Siton, 41, residing at Sitio Maharlika Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City, was nabbed with an estimated 15 grams of suspected shabu worth P102,000 in a joint drug operation by elements of the Opao Police Station led by Police Major Aldrin Villacampa and the City Intelligence Branch of Mandaue City Police Office led by Lt. Col. Bernouli Abalos. Also seized from him was a .38 revolver loaded with four live ammunition. 

A couple of hours earlier, Major Villacampa’s team also arrested Reynald Galindo, 31, of Barangay Tipolo in a buy-bust operation. 

Also arrested were Lemuel Canonigo, 34, of Zone Kamunggay, and Lilibeth Gitgano, 35, of Zone Repolyo in Barangay Paknaan. 

Both were nabbed in a follow-up drug operation in a subdivision in Barangay Pagsabungan./bmjo