Eight arrested in drug busts

CEBU, Philippines - Eight drug suspects, including a man who ranks 10th on the Lapu-Lapu City Police watch list, were arrested in separate operations in Mactan and Talisay City last Sunday. 

The man on the Lapu-Lapu police list, Ge-ar Narcoda, 24, was arrested allegedly in the act of sniffing shabu at his neighbor's shanty around 5:45 a.m. in Sitio Ka-insong, Barangay Basak.

Police Insp. Alcon Escosura, chief of the Marigondon Police Station, said the team also arrested the shanty's owner, Randy Bino, 26, who was with Narcoda at that time.

Escosura said Nacorda has just surrendered to authorities last July at the height of "Oplan Tokhang."

Two sachets of shabu worth a total of P3,000 were seized each from Bino and Narcoda.

Prior to the arrest of Narcoda and Bino, police arrested their neighbor, Harry Soroño, and confiscated from him 11 sachets of shabu and the alleged proceeds from the illegal drug trade worth P400.

Evening on the same day, at around 10 p.m., police arrested Michael Abarri, 33, in Sitio Ibaba, Barangay Agus. They confiscated from him 11 sachets of shabu estimated to worth P2,200 and P500 cash, the alleged proceeds from the drug trade.

Escosura said Abarri was advised earlier to surrender but allegedly refused to do so.

Meanwhile, in Talisay City, police arrested four drug suspects reportedly with information coming from a concerned citizen.

At around 4:30 p.m., they arrested Maria Victoria Ybañez, the main subject of the buy bust operation in Barangay Bulacao. She was arrested with four small packs of shabu. 

Police also arrested Ybañez' alleged cohorts, Jeffer Delima, 35, with one pack of shabu and Carmelo Cabriana, 54, with a stick of marijuana.

Hours later at around 8:30 p.m., police arrested Janet Bazar Cimene, 42, also through a buy-bust operation.

Police confiscated from her 14 packs of shabu worth P13,200. — (FREEMAN)