Three arrested in hotel buy-bust

Three suspected drug personalities were nabbed in a buy-bust operation conducted by the operatives of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 in a hotel along Sanciangko Street, Cebu City, last Sunday morning.

PDEA-7 Spokeswoman Leia Albiar identified the suspects as Nelson Luague, 31; Faller Michael Honorio, 42; and Elvira Go, 35.

Four medium packs of suspected shabu weighing 20 grams and estimated to be worth P100,000 were recovered from the suspects.

Luage, the subject of the operation, was placed under surveillance for at least a week before the operation after PDEA received reports regarding his involvement in the illegal drug trade. He can allegedly sell at least 50 to 100 grams of shabu per week.

The three are now detained at the PDEA-7 stockade while cases for violation of sections 5, 11, and 12 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being prepared against them.

Meanwhile, in Compostela a man was arrested after he was caught using drugs.

Bernard Nuñeza Jaime, 19, and a resident of Barangay Bagatayam, Sogod, was caught sniffing shabu by security guard Richie Jugan Tejero, 37, a resident of Barangay Cogon, Compostela, at around 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Senior Police Officer 3 Larry Fernandez of the Compostela Police Station said, Tejero was on roving duty at JCRCC Barracks in Amoa Subdivision, Barangay Cabadianan, Compostela, when he saw Jaime sniffing shabu.

Tejero immediately brought the suspect to the authorities who found a transparent plastic sachet with suspected shabu worth P500 and drug paraphernalia including aluminum foil strips and a lighter.

— Ermida Q. Moradas and Diane V. Tungol, USC intern/ BRP