Soldier, who went awol, caught with P6.8M shabu in Mandaue buy-bust

Stanley Coca, a soldier who went awol five years ago, is arrested after he was caught with a kilo of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City in the afternoon of August 9. | PDEA-7 Photo via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A soldier, who went awol or absent without official leave, will soon have a new home — jail.

This was after the former Philippine Army soldier was caught with a kilo of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Realty Road, Barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City at past 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 10.

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Soldier, a kilo of shabu

Leia Alcantara, spokesperson of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) identified the former soldier as Stanley Coca, 32, of Barangay Adlaon, Cebu City.

Alcantara said that a joint team of lawmen arrested Coca Coca after the buy-bust went down at 2:40 p.m.

They also confiscated from the suspect 21 plastic packs of suspected shabu, which weighed a kilo and had a market value of P6,800,000.

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Newly identified drug group

Alcantara said that Coca was believed to be a member of a newly identified drug group operating in Metro Cebu.

She also said that they did a 3-week case buildup against the suspect and conducted the buy-bust after they confirmed Coca engaging in the illegal drug business.

READ: Pregnant woman in Mandaue nabbed for sneaking illegal drugs into prison

500 grams of shabu in a week

Aside from that, Alcantara said that despite Coca being new to the business, he had become a drug dealer who could dispose from 500 grams to a kilo of suspected shabu in a week.

She also said that Coca was a soldier five years ago and went awol.

READ: Cops nab drug gang member for possession of P14.3-M worth of shabu in Bacolod

Detained, set to be charged

Coca was detained at the detention facility of the PDEA-7 pending the filing of charges.

The suspect will likely face possession and selling of illegal drugs cases.

Alcantara also said that aside from PDEA-7, Naval Forces Central Visayas (Navforcen), policemen of the Mandaue City Police Office Station 1, Special Weapons and Tactics unit, and the city police’s City Intelligence Unit also helped in making the buy-bust operation a success.