Cop, mistress, aide nabbed in buy bust

A POLICEMAN, his alleged mistress and his personal aide were arrested during a buy-bust in Barangay Poblacion in the southwestern town of Badian, Cebu on Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, 2022.

The suspects were identified as Patrolman Apollo Baisac Concepcion, 41; Charisse Uy Ylaya. 34; and Raphael Jose Legarde, 21.

Concepcion, who hails from Barangay Legaspi, Alegria, is married and assigned at the Tactical Operations Center of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO). He is described as a high-value individual in the drugs watch list.

Ylaya has a live-in partner in Barangay Poblacion, Badian.

She is considered a street-level individual.

Legarde, a resident of Alegria town, works as Concepcion’s aide.

Seized evidence

Senior Master Sergeant Dennis Sun, investigator of the Badian Police Station, told Superbalita Cebu they recovered one medium pack and one large pack of suspected shabu from Concepcion and one small pack each from Ylaya and Legarde, the P2,000 buy-bust money, a grenade and a sling bag.

The illegal drugs weighed 20 grams and had an estimated street value of P136,000.

According to Sun, they’ve been monitoring Concepcion’s movements for quite some time.

Possible source

Sun said Concepcion is in charge of dropping off illegal drugs in various southwestern towns in Cebu Province and he reportedly has personal aides in some of these towns.

During the buy-bust, Concepcion allegedly tried to run to get the grenade but raised his hands in surrender after he was surrounded by police.

Sun said they will now check where Concepcion gets his supply.

“He goes on duty at the camp for four days. During our surveillance, we found out that he carries illegal drugs every time he goes home,” Sun said in Cebuano.

Major James Conaco, chief of the Badian Police Station, said that when he assumed his post, he was informed that Concepcion was a target of an anti-illegal drugs operation and was very hard to catch.

The police chief said Concepcion’s arrest should serve as a warning to other members of the police force not to get involved in illegal activities.

“Subo kaayo nga sige ta’g panakop unya naa’y police nga na-involve (It’s regretful that we keep arresting criminals only to turn out that one of our own is involved in criminal activities),” Conaco said.

Warning to erring cops

In a statement on Wednesday, Aug. 24, Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Brig. Gen. Roque Eduardo Vega welcomed Concepcion’s arrest.

Vega said he directed the office-in-charge of the CPPO to “exercise disciplinary authority” over Concepcion.

“Aligned with the chief PNP’s (Philippine National Police) guidance, instilling discipline is a routine action that is taken priority to implant integrity in our work. Under my watch, I will not tolerate any wrongdoings of either of my uniformed or non-uniformed personnel or face the consequences of their actions. Let this serve as a warning,” Vega said.