Man nabbed with drugs, guns, bullets

CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested a 23-year-old man who yielded over P300,000 worth of shabu and firearms and ammunition in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City Friday.

Operatives of the City Intelligence Branch swooped down on Mannes Ybañez after he sold a pack of suspected shabu to a poseur-buyer past 10 pm near Blessed Sacrament Church in sitio Villagonzalo II.

The suspect was frisked and 24 small packs and five medium-sized packs of the same powdery substance were further found in his possession. The seized items were estimated to be worth P330,000.

CIB personnel also recovered a cal. 45 pistol loaded with six ammunition, a cal. 380 also with six ammunition and an improvised shotgun (Pugakhang) with three shells of a 12-gauge shotgun from the suspect.

Police also confiscated P25,180 cash from the suspect believed to be proceeds of his illegal activities.

Superintendent Romeo Santander, chief of CIB, said that prior to the operation, a barangay official went to the area where they were to meet with the suspect and questioned them, saying that they were at the wrong area.

Santander, without naming the barangay official, clarified that there was no need for them to be in the right house since they were not implementing a search warrant.

According to Santander, Ybañez is victim of last August 8’s fire in Tejero. He said the buy-bust operation was conducted at the house of the suspect’s parents.

“Nasunogan man gud ni sila, but dili man na ang punto diha nga buy-bust operation man ‘to ang transaction,” he said.

The suspect was reportedly unruly at first and was shouting at the operatives when he was arrested.

Santander said he will submit the confiscated firearms for examination, although based on their initial findings, the guns were locally-made or “paltik.”

He added that if the firearms lack pertinent documents, they will look into the possibility of filing a case against the suspect’s parents since the firearms and ammunitions were recovered at their premises.

Santander lamented that not a single barangay tanod was present during the operation.

He said the brother of the suspect, who he refused to name, is a tanod of the barangay.

CIB is keen on pressing charges against the suspect for violation of Sections 5 and 11 of Article 2 of the Comprehensive dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and for violation of the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunitions.   (FREEMAN)