Sabalones blamed for rise in shabu supply

The supply of illegal drugs in Central Visayas is expected to increase as the midterm elections in May approach.

Officials of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, on Monday, Feb. 26, said drug personalities like self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones were staging a comeback of their illegal operations as elections drew near.

Aside from illegal drugs, police are also monitoring aspiring candidates who are reportedly using funds from the illegal drug trade and illegal gambling to buy votes.

Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, PRO 7 director, said he was baffled that the supply and demand for illegal drugs remain high despite their continuous operations.

P30-M drug haul

He said they continue to recover huge amounts of illegal drugs during their raids.

Last week, close to P30 million worth of suspected shabu was recovered within 48 hours of the PRO 7’s Synchronized Enhanced Managing Police Operations (Sempo) that was implemented across the region.

Sempo is the recalibrated “One Time, Big Time” operation against all criminals, which was introduced during the time of retired PNP General Ronald dela Rosa.

Most of those arrested or killed in PRO 7’s Sempo were former cohorts of Sabalones.

Sinas believed high-profile drug players in Cebu have started to release their stockpiles of shabu, especially with the midterm elections just three months away.

“That is why we and PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) are monitoring their movements as we assessed that more drugs are expected to reach the streets, especially that more money will come out due to the elections,” Sinas said.

The police official said that based on their monitoring, more illegal drugs were being sold in Cebu Province after Sabalones is said to have revived his drug business.

It has been three years since Sabalones surrendered at Camp Crame in Manila following dela Rosa’s intensive Oplan Tokhang operations.

No warrant, no charge

But Sinas believed Sabalones and some of his cohorts have returned to their old business due to the amount of drugs that has been recently recovered.

Meanwhile, Sinas said they cannot arrest Sabalones since there has been no warrant of arrest issued against him and there is no pending case filed against him in court even though President Rodrigo Duterte had identified Sabalones as a drug personality.

Sinas said if they were to arrest or neutralize Sabalones, there was a possibility the supply of illegal drugs, particularly in Talisay City and San Fernando town, would be minimized.

Aside from illegal drugs, police are also monitoring illegal gambling activities as their proceeds are sometimes used to buy votes.

Sinas admitted that it was difficult to determine if the money candidates were using during their campaigns came from illegal means.

He said he created a team to look into this.