Nigerian’s luggage yields P3.5M shabu

CEBU, Philippines - A search conducted yesterday following Tuesday evening’s arrest of a Nigerian national inside a motel for drugs led to the confiscation of an estimated P3.5 million worth of shabu inside the suspect’s house in Yati, Liloan, Cebu.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-7 said it was a “consented search” because the live-in partner of suspect James Okwudili Uyanneh, 53, voluntarily turned over Uyanneh’s belongings to authorities.

Uyanneh was arrested by the NBI led by lawyer Bernard dela Cruz on Tuesday evening inside a motel in Mandaue City during an entrapment operation. He was accused of peddling illegal drugs.

Regional Director Antonio Pagatpat said they were able to seize 14 packs of shabu with an estimated weight of 700 grams inside a locked luggage that the suspect owned and turned over by his partner, 38-year-old Susan Santillan.

“It was a consented search and Santillan is excluded from the charges,” he said.

Pagatpat said someone from Yati, Liloan, Cebu called their office informing them that Uyanneh was living in the barangay. He said the call came after a concerned citizen heard from the news that Uyanneh was arrested.

In an interview, Santillan denied any knowledge of the activities of the suspect. She said she voluntarily turned over the things including the luggage of her live-in partner to the authorities upon learning his arrest.

“I didn’t know that he was engaged in illegal drugs… I trusted him... We respect each other. It’s only now that I’ve learned after I saw him on TV,” she said in Bisaya.

For almost three years they’ve been together, she said she did not notice anything different from her partner except his usual stay at their house particularly in their room.

Santillan has five children with a previous relationship but has no child with Uyanneh. The two met in 2010. She was a real estate agent while Uyanneh owned a company that deals with crude oil in Cebu.

She said she never expected recent developments.

“Before, my friends told me to leave him (Uyanneh) but it’s not that easy considering the years we’ve been together. I don’t want to let him go,” she said in Bisaya.

However, with what happened right now, she said she has to leave Uyanneh. Santillan is also willing to coordinate with the NBI if she is needed.

Leonardo Asibuque, a 35-year-old neighbor of the couple, said it was only on Wednesday when they learned of the activities of Uyanneh after seeing him on TV.

However, he said Uyanneh was known in their neighbor because of various complaints involving their children.

“There were various complaints against Uyanneh here in our place. One time, I lodged a complaint against him before the Office of the Barangay for child abuse because he directed my daughter to show her breast in consideration of money and candy. It was not only once but twice,” he said in Bisaya.

Carolina, the mother of Susan, said upon hearing the news, she went directly to the house of her daughter to check.

“Na-worry ko sa akong anak, sa una pa.. Maldituhan kaayo ko anang Nigerian. Sa pagkadakop mura kog naibtan og tunok,” she told The Freeman.

The complaint for selling of illegal drugs was filed yesterday against Uyanneh before the Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office.

On Tuesday evening, the NBI seized 70 grams of shabu worth P350,000 during an entrapment operation. Uyanneh had denied owning the shabu. He said he only went to the motel to meet someone.

In a separate development, Ken Kenneth Rosales, a nursing graduate, was charged before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office for selling illegal drugs.

Rosales was arrested by the operatives of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) for allegedly selling capsules of ecstasy and packs of cocaine on Tuesday night in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

Another police operation in Cebu City yesterday also led to the arrest of five alleged drug users who allegedly had packs of shabu and ampules of Nubain.

The Waterfront Police, who were responding to a robbery incident, swooped down on three men whom they caught having a pot session inside one of the suspects’ house in Barangay San Roque at past 10 am.

The suspects were identified as 54-year-old Rogelio Aloha, who owned the house, his neighbor Jaime Gastardo, 35, and Fernando Dearce, 49, a resident of Barangay Mambaling.

Chief Insp. Wildemar Tiu, chief of Waterfront Police, said they reached the interior portion of Palma St. corner S. Osmeña Blvd. and were looking for a certain Jun-jun Canejo, who is suspect of a robbery incident, when someone tipped them about the suspects having a pot session at Aloha’s house.

The suspects were arrested and seized from them were five packs of suspected shabu and several drug paraphernalia such as tooter, scissors, lighters, and tin foils, among others.

The suspects admitted to the crime and will face charges. Aloha, a widow, said he has been into illegal drug selling for about seven months now in order to support his children. A separate charge for illegal drug possession will be filed against him, said Tiu.

Meanwhile, Tiu said they are still looking for Canejo, who robbed Robert Rogicio of his bag at Lapu-Lapu St. at about 10 am. Rogicio, Tiu said, is a resident of Zamboanga City and has just arrived at the pier when he was robbed of his bag which contained P14,000 cash, ATM cards, and cellular phone among others.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch arrested suspects Armando Llamedo, 29, and Christopher Almendras, 30, who were also caught about to have a pot session in the interior area of Barangay Kamagayan at 11 am.

The suspects had three ampoules of the regulated drug Nubain and 21 syringes.

IDMB chief Aileen Recla said they failed to arrest their main subject, though, who was tipped to them selling the drugs.

Recla said they have been active against Nubain because of the increasing number of those affected with the HIV virus.

The IDMB chief further said that they also acted on the report they received through their hotline number that some students of the nearby university go to the interior area and use drugs.

Also in Cordova town, 41 small packets of shabu were seized from two alleged drug pushers in a buy-bust operation Wednesday evening in Sitio Calan, Barangay Poblacion.

Suspects, Bilmar Degamo, 27, a resident of the said place and Juanito Mapa, 25, of Barangay Buagsong, tried to elude arrest but were overpowered by the police. Their illegal activities were monitored for two weeks after Cordova police chief, Chief Insp. Alvin Balio noticed something unusual at the house of Degamo.

Balio said it seemed that there was always a celebration in Degamo’s house because it always has a lot of people. When verified, the house turned out as an alleged drug den.

“Murag magpista kada hapon sa lugar…drug den pud diay ang balay nga naay mag-waiting sa gawas tungod sa kapuno,” Balio said in a phone interview.

During the operation, it was Degamo who personally handed the shabu to a poseur buyer. Confiscated from him were 36 small packets of shabu worth almost P11,000, two pieces P200 bill, and P1,650 cash.

“Nikisi-kisi gyud na siya pero daghan man mi,” Balio said.

Mapa who was at the area tried to escape and threw away five small packets of shabu but, he was arrested by the police after a brief chase. Confiscated from him aside from the shabu were two disposable lighters and P250 cash.

Degamo was not in the list of drug personalities in the police station but Balio said he was new in the drugs trade and a level two drug pusher.

His scope of distribution is only in Barangay Poblacion.

Violations for Sections 5 and 11 of RA 9164 or Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 will be filed against the suspects who are now detained at the Cordova Police Station. — with Niña G. Sumacot and Ria Mae Y. Booc/JPM (FREEMAN)