2 minors rescued, 3 nabbed with P4M shabu in Cebu City drug busts

Policemen from the San Nicholas Police Station in Cebu City do an inventory on the around P3.5 million worth of suspected shabu and cash seized from two 18-year-old suspects and two minors in a drug bust in Sitio Mahayahay II, Barangay Calamba, Cebu City, at 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2019.| Photo courtesy of the San Nicolas Police Station.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) arrested three persons including, two high-value targets, and rescued two minors in separate buy-bust operations that also led to the recovery of about P4 million of suspected shabu (crystal meth) pre-dawn today, September 20, 2019.

The first operation took place at around 12:30 a.m. conducted by the  San Nicholas Police Station in Sitio Mahayahay II, Barangay Calamba, Cebu City, which led to the arrest of  Benjamin Saballa Jameto Jr., 18, inside his home with his cohort Christian Dave Abanid Dutallas, 18, and two minors aged 14 and 16. The minors were believed to be drug users.

Jameto, whom police identified as a high value target and listed in the regional drug watchlist, was caught with about 515 grams of shabu valued at P3.5 million.

According to Police Major Kenneth Paul Albotra, San Nicholas police chief, Jameto could allegedly dispose of about a kilo of shabu per week.

He said Jameto was under surveillance for a week after his name was mentioned by minors  previously arrested for drug-related cases.

Albotra revealed that the two minors were Grade 10 and 8 students in a public high school in Cebu City while Jameto and Dutallas were Senior High School dropouts.

The two minors were  turned over to the Department of Social Welfare And Development (DSWD) to undergo rehabilitation while Jameto and Dutallas are now detained at the San Nicholas station awaiting the filing of drug charges against them.

Albotra said they were now looking into the possible drug groups that might be the main supplier of the drugs sold by the teenagers. It is also possible that the two young men were just paid to store the drugs, he added.

About 30 minutes later, or at about 1 a.m.,  another buy-and-bust operation was conducted by the Waterfront Police station along Arellano Boulevard, Barangay San Roque, Cebu City that resulted to the arrest of Garby Jumao-as, 40, a resident of the same barangay.

Jumao-as, another high value target in the regional drug watchlist,  was caught with at least 100 grams of suspected shabu valued at P650,000.

Police Major Joemar Pomarejos, Waterfront police chief, said they had been trying to track down Jumao-as for two months before they located him two weeks ago and began monitoring his movement until they finally had a chance to catch him in a drug bust.

He said they were verifying information that Jumao-as was allegedly a member of a big-time drug group operating in Cebu City. Jumaos-as is currently held at the Waterfront police./elb