By John Rey Saavedra/ Philippine News Agency
CEBU CITY – The intensified campaign against drugs in Cebu has resulted in the arrest of three suspects and confiscation of illegal substances suspected to be shabu estimated to be worth P16.5 million in three operations on Monday (Sept. 20) night and Tuesday (Sept. 21) morning, the police said.
Before Tuesday dawn, the Provincial Intelligence Unit and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit arrested Kevin Aviles Panggo, 26, a construction worker, in Barangay San Roque, Talisay City, and seized from him 900 grams of suspected shabu worth P6.1 million.
On Monday night, the Cebu City police confiscated more than P10 million worth of suspected shabu and arrested two high-value individuals in twin buy-bust operations.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director Col. Josefino Ligan said in a radio interview on Tuesday that the City Drug Enforcement Unit arrested Bryan Osabel, 25, a resident of Barangay Pasil, in an operation along Avocado St. in Barangay Mambaling.
The operatives seized from Osabel’s possession half a kilogram of suspected shabu with a street value of P3.4 million.
In another operation a few minutes later along B. Aranas Extension in the adjacent village of Duljo-Fatima, the police nabbed Benjie Lupian, a resident of Barangay Suba here and confiscated about a kilogram of suspected shabu with a street value of P7 million.
Ligan said Lupian was also arrested for illegal drug possession and selling in 2019 but was released from the Cebu City Jail the following year after entering a plea bargain with the court.
He believed that the drugs seized from Osabel and Lupian were old stocks that they wanted to dispose of in Metro Cebu before Christmas.
Ligan commended DEU headed by Maj. Jonathan Bethoveen Taneo and the Police Station 11 in Barangay Mambaling headed by Maj. Dindo Alaraz for the twin operations that led to the arrest of Osabel and Lupian.
“This is part of our intensified cleanliness policy in the community. CCPO is committed to cleanse Cebu City of illegal drugs,” he said in Cebuano.
Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are now being prepared for filing by the police against the three suspects. (PNA)
