Shabu, guns seized; suspect eludes arrest

CEBU, Philippines - Several packs of shabu worth P50,000 and pieces of firearms were seized in an anti-illegal drug operation of the Regional Special Operation Group yesterday afternoon in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

Nonito “Egloy” Montemayor, the subject of the operation, apparently sensed the presence of the operatives and eluded arrest.

RSOG operatives were armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras of Branch 10 in Cebu City. Police conducted two-week surveillance on the subject.

Regional Intelligence Division deputy chief, Superintendent Rex Derilo, who led the operation, said that neighbors of Montemayor reportedly alerted the suspect to escape when they arrived in the area.

“Nagpadung nami naa na’y lookout nga maoy nag-inform ngadto sa subject,” Derilo said.

Derilo added that Montemayor’s house also has a closed-circuit television camera that can monitor any person arriving in the place.

Recovered during the operation, at the second floor of Montemayor’s house, were medium packs of shabu, cal. 38 revolver and cal. 22 revolver, and assorted drug paraphernalia.

On the same floor, police found an exit door at the back portion where the suspect was believed to have escaped.

Derilo described Montemayor as a level two drug pusher who can dispose more than a kilo of shabu a week.

In the same barangay last week, the same unit carried out a raid and recovered more than P.5 million worth of shabu.

Two weeks ago, millions of illegal drugs were also confiscated in several anti-drug operations in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue as well as in Cebu province.

The operations are part of the region-wide crackdown against those involved in illegal drug trade. —/NSA (FREEMAN)