P6M IN DRUGS SEIZED

A citizen who walked into Pardo Police Station gave a tip that led to a P5,000 drug purchase. And half a kilo of shabu. Investigators are trying to find out where the 28-year-old suspected pusher they arrested Saturday had obtained his drugs.

Before the Pardo and Mambaling police teams found half a kilo of shabu, they verified information from a citizen who went to the Pardo Police Station and also arranged for a decoy to buy P5,000 worth of drugs from their suspect. That worked.

The Pardo Police Station of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) arrested a high-value target who yielded more than 500 grams of illegal drugs worth P6 million in Sitio Lawis, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City last Saturday night.

According to PO3 Benjamine Maglajos of the Pardo Police Station, a concerned citizen went to the police station and reported the presence of the subject, Reneil Monceda, 28, who was also on the watch list of the Mambaling Police Station.

“He was already known as a drug pusher in Mambaling. Based on the report of the informant, Monceda is highly mobile, changing places in Guadalupe then back to Mambaling again so we needed to act on the information immediately,” Maglajos said in a phone interview.

The informant, Maglajos said, provided them the facts that led to Monceda’s arrest.

At 11:50 p.m., operatives of the drug enforcement unit of Police Station 7 ar- ranged for a transaction with Monceda after they coordinated with Mambaling police, Maglajos said.

Monceda agreed to sell a medium pack of shabu for P5,000, not knowing he was dealing with a police decoy.

When the exchange ended, operatives arrested Monceda in an interior portion of Sitio Lawis.

Aside from a medium-sized sachet, five large packs that held 503.9 grams and P1,000 cash believed to be proceeds from the drug trade were seized from his possession. The P6 million estimate is based on values set by the Dangerous Drugs Board.

“We are finding out where his source is from but based on previous arrests of drug personalities who have huge amounts of drugs in their possession, they tend to remain uncooperative with the police,” Maglajos said.

In Sitio Kastilaan, Barangay Ermita, another suspected drug pusher was caught by a team from Carbon Police Station headed by Senior Insp. John Kareen Escober. He was identified as Ian Catapan and allegedly had P60,770 worth of shabu in his possession.

The arrested persons will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

CONTRIBUTED FOTO / PARDO POLICE STATION SATURDAY NIGHT ON THE HOT SEAT. A civilian’s information led the Pardo Police, working with their counterparts in Mambaling, to Reneil Monceda, 28. His face was already concealed when the police shared this photograph.