Mandaue drug bust: P6.97M shabu seized, HVI nabbed

Mandaue policemen dressed as women catch a suspected drug pusher during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City. | Contributed photo via Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Policemen, who wore dresses and acted like they were gay persons to win the confidence of a suspected drug pusher, scored big after they confiscated over a kilo of suspected shabu worth P6.97 million during a buy-bust operation.

This happened at along M.L. Quezon Avenue in Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City at past midnight of Friday, February 9.

READ: Tagbilaran drug den: Couple, drug den visitor arrested

Why police did it

“Ang atoang mga kapulisan sometimes, mohimo og lain-lain nga mga strategy para makuha ang ilaha’ng atensyon sa ilaha’ng mga subject, so napili o nahuna-hunaon sa atoang operatiba is ang iyaha’ng iproject sa iya’ng kaugalingon gitawag nato nga cover story is sama siya sa usa ka mahuyang,” Police Colonel Mercy Villaro, Mandaue City Police Office chief, during a press briefing on Friday, February 9.

(Our police, sometimes, will do different strategies to catch the attention of their subject so our operatives thought about projecting his cover story that he was a gay person.)

“During sa actual nga operation mao na nga nagdress up lang sad sila sama sa usa ka babaye kay para during sa ilaha’ng pagmeet-up dili sad mo-atras, ang consistency ba sa iyaha’ng story,” said Villaro.

(During the actual operation that is why he was dressing like a woman so that during their meet the subject would not cancel their meeting, and convince him with the consistency of his story.)

READ: Man, his nephew caught with over P2M ‘shabu’ in Cebu City drug bust

High value individual

Villaro said that two undercover policemen wore dresses, a daster, and acted like they were gay men as they transacted with the suspect identfied as Alyas Roger, 56, of Barangay Buhisan, Cebu City, during the buy-bust operation.

According to Villaro during a press briefing on Friday, February 9, that Roger was a public utility jeepney driver.

She also said that they were not expecting to catch Roger with a kilo of suspected shabu during the operation.

Villaro said that they classified Roger as a high value individual in their list of drug personalities.

Roger allegedly could dispose from 100 grams to 200 grams of suspected shabu in a week with his distribution areas being Mandaue and Cebu cities.

READ: ‘Shabu’ worth P2.7M recovered from 2 ex-cons in Cebu City drug bust

Buy-bust at reclamation

Earlier or on late Thursday evening, Mandaue police also arrested a certain Mitch during a buy-bust operation at the reclamation area in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.

Mitch was caught with 100 grams of suspected shabu with a market value of P680,000.

Villaro also described Mitch as a high value individual and that he was just recently released from jail for illegal drugs.

Both suspects were detained by the Mandaue City Police Office pending the filing of charges.