Three fall in drug bust

CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested three people, including two women, in a buy-bust operation that netted over 700 sachets of suspected shabu in Barangay Ermita last Tuesday night.

Anti-drug operatives, however, failed to arrest their subject, Wenceslao Cabugason alias Boy, 48, a level one drug pusher, said Chief Insp. Romeo Santander.

Santander, chief of City Intelligence Branch that carried out the raid at 6 pm, said they tried but failed to arrest Cabugason as his neighbors tried to block the police.

CIB operatives, instead, arrested Cabugason’s live-in partner Maria Nancy Gonzales, 44; Mary Ann Blanco, 28; and George Barrientos, 25.

Blanco and Barrientos, Santander said, were seized with several packs of shabu that they allegedly bought from the couple that night.

“Mangumprahay ‘to silang duha. Ila na sad unta ‘tong ibaligya sa lain. Atong tungora, nagbahinay na sila,(Both just bought drugs and were supposed to sell it. At that point, they were dividing the drugs between the two of them.)” Santander revealed.

Blanco was seized with 127 sachets of suspected shabu, 105 sachets from Barrientos, and 507 sachets as well as P18,000 cash from Gonzales, who is allegedly Cabugason’s partner in the illegal drug trade.

During the operation, the police decoy received the 15 packs of shabu from Cabugason but as soon as the suspect received the P3,000 supposed payment for the drugs, he ran away after sensing that he was dealing with a law enforcer.

“Gisuwayan pa g’yud namo siya og gukod pero ang mga tawo didto niaksyon ug babag. Magtinabangay man gud na’ sila diha. Daghan sab suok diha dapita, maong nakaeskapo gyud, (We tried to arrest him but the people there tried to block us. People there help each other. There are also a lot of alleys in that area which was why they were able to elude arrest.)” the CIB chief narrated.

Santander said they seized 744 sachets or about 60 grams of the illegal drugs that roughly amounted to P250,000. Each sachet cost P300, he said.

The CIB chief said Cabugason is a level one drug pusher who can dispose of at least 100 grams of shabu every week and is included in the police watch list of drug personalities.

He said the amount of shabu that they seized from Cabugason will lessen the proliferation of illegal drugs in the barangay.  Gonzales, he said, admitted to engaging in illegal drug trade with Cabugason, though she refused to answer when asked by reporters. Barrientos and Blanco both denied the accusation.

Charges for possessing shabu will be filed against the three while a charge for selling shabu will be filed against the fleeing suspect.

Meanwhile, approximately 5,500 marijuana plants estimated to be worth P600,000 were uprooted in three different sitios of Barangay Basiao, Badian early morning Tuesday. — (FREEMAN)