Mob springs suspect during drub buy-bust

A group of residents, believed to be relatives, snatched a suspected female drug pusher away to freedom from the arresting policemen during a buy-bust at sitio Bato in barangay Ermita Tuesday evening.

Superintendent Pablo Labra II, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch, said his men had already got the suspect, Bebot Tude, but when they were about to put the handcuffs on her, a mob attacked the policemen and grabbed Tude away from them.

The police team, including PO3s Cesar Pandong and Bezallel Olmedo, used PO2 Hilario Coderos as poseur buyer of shabu from Tude with P2000 marked money.

Immediately after the deal, the team swooped down on Tude's house and arrested her but not for long because a group or people came and some of them grabbed Tude while the others pushed the lawmen away, resulting in her escape.

The police recovered from Tude the P2000 marked money and a pack of suspected shabu as evidence, as the CIIB will still indict Tude for violating Republic Act 9165 or the amended Dangerous Drugs Act.

Reports alleged that Tude has been supplying shabu in Lapu-Lapu City, and the police said she is the remaining big-time female drug-pushing suspect in Ermita who has not been arrested yet. - Edwin Ian Melecio