Police arrest 14 drug dealers, users in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu Cities

FOURTEEN people were arrested for drug-related offenses in the Cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu.

In Lapu-Lapu, two drug peddlers and a user were caught in a buy-bust last Wednesday night.

A team from the Lapu-Lapu Police Station 3 led by Chief Insp. Jaime Tolentino arrested Ramil Baguio, 28, and his alleged cohort Nataline “Talin” Ochea, 37, in Purok Thunder, Barangay Babag at 8:30 p.m..

“Dati na gipa-Tokhang, wa mo-surrender. Duna tay nadawat nga reports nga sige gihapon og paninda (We already visited their houses during our Tokhang operation, but they did not surrender. We received reports that they continued selling illegal drugs),” said Tolentino.

After Baguio received the P200 marked money from a police decoy, the former reportedly instructed Ochea to give him a sachet of shabu.

Baguio, however, sensed that he was dealing with a police officer. He tried to escape, but police were quick to arrest him and his cohort.

Police found 10 sachets of suspected shabu from Ochea, while the buy-bust money was recovered from Baguio.

During the operation, police also arrested Jade Ruiz, 24, who allegedly bought a sachet of shabu from Baguio.

Tolentino said that the seized illegal drugs are valued at P6,000.

Meanwhile, authorities caught 11 persons in separate anti-illegal drug operations in Cebu City last Wednesday.

Nhemrod Inesola, 42, an allegedly known drug personality on Sabellano St., Barangay Punta Prinsesa was caught by elements of the Police Station 10 inside a pension house.

He allegedly yielded one medium pack of suspected shabu, with a street value of P35,000.

Jerome Baterna, 29, reportedly tried to run away from police operatives when they caught him allegedly in the act of handing over illegal drugs to a customer.

But police cornered and arrested him in Barangay Inayawawn. He was allegedly found in possession of three sachets of shabu.

Gerson Labajo, 31, was also arrested by operatives of the Pardo Police Station during a preventive patrol after a medium pack of shabu and three sachets of the same substance were confiscated from him.

Live-in partners Carlo Ybañez, 23, and Marjorie Caballes, 24 were caught in Barangay Kalunasan with five sachets shabu and several drug paraphernalia.

The Mambaling police also nabbed Francisco Lunop, 42; Dennis Taraya, 38; Joseph Tabarno, 42; Cheryl Ero, 38; and Mary Pacaldo, 22 in Barangay Duljo-Fatima.

Seven sachets of shabu were confiscated from Lunop’s possession, while Taraya, Tabarno, Ero and Pacaldo will face charges for possession of sniffing paraphernalia.

Another drug suspect identified as Melchor Flores, 39, was arrested in possession of six sachets of shabu by Police Station 2 operatives.

The arrest was made after a team of police went inside an abandoned house, which has been used as a drug den, and they met Flores who was on his way out.