18 drug suspects fall in Cebu sting ops

CEBU CITY — Eighteen drug suspects were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in the cities of Danao and Lapu-Lapu, and the town of Cordova on Wednesday.

Reports reaching the Cebu Provincial Police Office said nine suspects were caught in Danao City, six in Lapu-Lapu City, and three in Cordova.

In Danao, two female and seven male suspects were nabbed. They were Ted Albert Pantoja, 20, and his 17-year-old sister, Ronel Martel, Nilo Banzon, Vivian Cosares, one 19-year old male, Carmilo Cascabel Jr., Noli Cola, and Richel Alcala. The names of the younger Pantoja and one of the male suspects are being withheld as both are still in their teens.

The Pantoja siblings were arrested around 5 p.m. in Barangay Taytay while selling drugs to Martel, 21, and Banzon, 41.

Seized from the Pantoja’s possession were five medium-sized packs of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” and PHP1,500. Martel and Banzon yielded one sachet of drugs each.

An hour later, Vivian Cosares and her 19-year-old cohort were arrested in Tabok, Barangay Poblacion together with Cascabel, Cola, and Alcala, who were having a pot session at the time of the raid.

Recovered from Cosares and the teenager were six medium packs and nine sachets of shabu, while Cascabel, Cola, and Alcala yielded one small pack of drugs apiece and drug paraphernalia.

In Cordova, authorities seized 13 small packs of shabu from suspected drug pusher 54-year-old Maria Lita Lumangcas, six from Brian Inoc, and eight from Wendell Tiro, who were arrested in separate operations.

Arrested in Lapu-Lapu were Andy Mahusay, Aljic Isig, Marcelino Sitano, Jenny Zafra, Michael Caburnay, and Wilfred Cabatingan.

Mahusay and Isig were apprehended together with their buyers Sitano and Zafra. Confiscated from the suspects were five medium, six small, and 24 sachets of shabu.

Caburnay and Cabatingan, on the other hand, yielded 11 and 5 sachets of drugs, respectively. (PNA)

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