Police confiscate P1.3M shabu, arrest 2 suspects

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Anti-illegal drugs operatives in Negros Oriental scored its biggest haul of shabu so far this year following the arrest of two suspects in a buy-bust operation Monday afternoon at Brgy. Calindagan in this city.

The buy-bust yielded shabu, estimated to be at least 120 grams, which could hit an estimated street value of between P600,000 and P650,000. Based on the Dangerous Drugs Board’s standard, however, the price of the seized illegal drugs could be P1.3 million.

Arrested by the drug-bust team was 38-year-old Ricky Selencio, a resident of Calindagan, who was caught allegedly in possession of shabu in two big plastic sachets, known as sako in street lingo, and a smaller plastic sachet, or bolto. He fell to an undercover agent posing as a buyer.

Also arrested was Federico Sorbido Aseñas, a resident of Tubtubon in Sibulan town, who was tagged as Selencio’s courier and a suspected hired gun allegedly involved in some drug-related shooting incidents in the city.

The arresting team consisted of members of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Group (PAID-SOTG), headed by Insp Jay Ryan Orapa, the Dumaguete City Police led by Supt. James Goforth and the provincial SWAT team.

While no shabu was confiscated from Aseñas, he was arrested following a supposed buy-bust transaction, which did not prosper but subsequently in a search, operatives found a .357-caliber revolver with no rounds of ammunition and a fragmentation grenade in his possession.

Other items seized from the suspects were the marked-P500 bills and bogus money, cash receipts for remittances purportedly from the illegal drugs sales, a weighing scale, two black bags and empty plastic sachets.

According to Sr. Supt. Mariano Natuel, Jr., OIC director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, both suspects were believed to be level-2 drug pushers that sell large quantities of shabu.

Selencio admitted to the media he was in possession of shabu, at the time of his arrest, which he said was delivered to him from unidentified couriers, wearing helmets and riding a motorcycle without plate numbers. 

He said he used to receive only 25 to 50 grams of shabu, allegedly from a source in Muntinlupa, but lately the quantity was doubled because the couriers were afraid they might be monitored.

Selencio said he stopped selling shabu nine years ago and was driving a tricycle for his daily income, but due to his ailing mother and an 8-month-old child he was forced to sell shabu again for the past few months, after a relative introduced him to a big source in Muntinlupa.

When asked if he knew the suppliers or bigwigs peddling shabu in Dumaguete, Selencio denied knowing anybody because transactions between him and his contacts were usually done via text messaging and meeting at pre-arranged drop-off points.

Orapa said reports disclosed that Selencio had a delivery of more than a kilo, with a weekly disposal of 500 grams to two kilos, thus the suspect could be deemed a big fish in the drug trade.

Selencio has been in PAID-SOTG’s “target setting list” and has been monitored for a long time since, while Aseñas was in Muntinlupa serving for a conviction for illegal possession of firearm and was released only last year.

Orapa added Aseñas, known in the drug trade as “Pikong,” was the local contact of the syndicate in Muntinlupa, and at the same time the “birador” to secure big transactions in Dumaguete.

The PAID-SOTG official said Aseñas could be involved in shooting incidents in Dumaguete involving illegal drugs personality due to non-remittance, although Orapa admitted they still have no evidence to pin down the suspect to the killings.

The firearm confiscated from Aseñas will be subjected to ballistics examination by the PNP Crime Laboratory to determine if this matches with evidence gathered from previous shooting incidents, said Natuel.

Aseñas denied ownership of the gun and the grenade allegedly seized from him. He declined to be interviewed at first but later on admitted he was incarcerated for awhile at the Bais City Jail in Bais City, Negros Oriental for an offense he did not disclose to the media.

He was surprised that he was accused of possessing a gun and a grenade, saying that some law enforcers he earlier met came to his house in Sibulan and asked him to come along with them. It was only at the Dumaguete Police Station where he was allegedly handcuffed and  placed under arrest for reasons unknown to him. (FREEMAN)