Two cocaine couriers reveal local contact

CEBU, Philippines - The deputy director of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (RAIDSTOF) yesterday said they are now working on the local contact of the two couriers of cocaine that were caught during a buy-bust operation in Lapu-Lapu City Saturday morning.

Senior Insp. Kenneth Paul Albotra said that the suspects, Darwin Debuque and Eric Balansil, admitted during tactical interrogation that they have one local contact in Cebu.

 Albotra said that Debuque, 36, and Balansil, 36, who hail from Leyte are members of a syndicate that sells high-grade cocaine.

Albotra did not reveal the name of the local contact but said they are now working for his arrest.

According to Albotra, the suspects told them that they have sold bricks of cocaine in Bacolod City before their latest transaction in Lapu-Lapu City that led to their arrest.

The police however believe that the two have long been engaged in selling illegal drugs, especially cocaine, which they believe are part of the large volume thrown off by an international drug syndicate in the Leyte to avoid being caught by pursuing international law enforcers.

Debuque and Balansil were arrested during a buy-bust operation outside a fastfood chain in Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City Saturday morning. Police operatives confiscated from them at least P15 million worth of cocaine.

The suspects are temporarily detained at the Police Regional Office-7 while criminal complaints will be filed against them today before the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office. — (FREEMAN)