Nine arrested for drugs
Nine individuals, including four repeat offenders and drug surrenderers, were arrested while a drug den was dismantled and over ₱200,000 worth of drugs seized in two separate operations conducted last Saturday afternoon by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 together with elements of the Cebu City Police Office.
Around 1:30 p.m. in Sitio Rainbow Village, Barangay Kinasang-an, Cebu City, eight individuals were arrested and a drug den was dismantled following a buy-bust operation.
Among the arrested individuals was the subject of the operation, alleged drug den maintainer Yulindo Navarro, 59, unemployed.
Also apprehended were drug den visitors Nestor Serdan, 72, a barangay job-order driver; Chuckie Villeno, 36, a water shop helper; Jazz delos Reyes Quilario, 39, a construction painter; Lexter Abaquita, 31, a tailor; Glen Padinas, 39, a jeepney driver; Norman Larawan, 42, also a jeepney driver; and Felix Tantiado, 56, unemployed.
PDEA-7 information officer Leia Alcantara said Navarro, Villeno, and Quilario were drug surrenderers and had completed a CommunityBased Drug Rehab Program (CBDRP) in
Kinasang-an.
Confiscated during the operation were 11 packs of suspected shabu weighing around 11 grams estimated to be worth ₱74,800, buy-bust money, and various drug paraphernalia.
Kinasang-an was declared drug-cleared in 2022.
At A. Borres Street in Barangay Suba, Cebu City, around 30 grams of suspected shabu estimated worth ₱204,000 was seized from Joemari Tagalog, 30, unemployed, and a PDEA-7 target-listed drug personality.
Alcantara said Tagalog was also a drug surrenderer and completed Suba’s CBDRP.
Apart from the eight packs of suspected shabu, police also recovered the buy-bust money and various drug paraphernalia.
Alcantara reiterated the importance of the anti-drug abuse councils in the barangay in monitoring drug activities in their community and coordinating with drug enforcement authorities.
“Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs), especially in drug-cleared barangays, have a critical role in monitoring the drug situation in their barangays, including the status of their CBDRP completers, and are urged to immediately report any illegal drug activities to authorities,” she said in a press statement.
“Barangays are also urged to implement drug-free workplace policies to address drug abuse among barangay employees,” she concluded. -