Two arrested; drugs worth P500T seized

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City police arrested two alleged drug pushers and confiscated 33 small packets of illegal drugs in separate operations in barangays Pasil and Kamputhaw yesterday morning.

San Nicolas Police Station arrested Armando Belamia, 42, of Sitio Lawis, Barangay Pasil. His arrest was by virtue of a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Fiel Navarro of Branch 19, Cebu City.

Senior Inspector Chuck Barandog, San Nicolas police chief, said seized from Belamia were two large, 11 medium and 40 small packets of shabu worth P500,000, drug paraphernalia and a .38 revolver.

The illegal drugs and firearms confiscated were taken to the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory for chemical analysis and ballistics examination.

Belamia could reportedly dispose of 300 to 500 grams of shabu worth P1 million a week.

Meanwhile, in a separate police operation, Harold Solon, 45, was arrested in a buy-bust operation by the operatives of the City Intelligence Branch. Solon was immediately arrested after he handed a packet of shabu to a poseur-buyer.

When frisked, Solon yielded 32 small packets of shabu worth P20,000 and a .38 revolver.

A team led by Inspector Gomersendo Mandawe, deputy chief of CIB, conducted surveillance on the suspect for two weeks before they carried out the operation.

Mandawe said Solon has a pending warrant of arrest for illegal drug. He is a level two drug pusher and on the watch list of the PIB.

Both Belamia and Solon are now detained pending filing for criminal charges at the fiscal’s office.

Senior Superintendent Noli Romana, Cebu City Police Office director, has directed all stations to serve at least 22 search warrants a month. This excludes buy-bust operations.

“I want them to serve search warrants to those persons with involvement in illegal drugs,” Romana said.

The fight against illegal drugs has been intensified in Central Visayas as ordered by Chief Superintendent Prudencio Bañas, Police Regional Office-7 director. —/ATO (FREEMAN)