P10.2-M shabu seized from Cebu worker

MANDAUE CITY — Authorities arrested a construction worker tagged as a high-value individual (HVI) after seizing 1.5 kilograms of suspected shabu worth P10.2 million from him during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Umapad on Monday night.

The suspect, identified only as alias Bynig, 39 years old and a resident of Centro, Barangay Ibabao, Cordova, Cebu.

Police said he was arrested at Purok Coconut 2 in Barangay Umapad during a sting operation mounted by anti-drug operatives of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO).

The suspect yielded 15 large sachets of suspected shabu with a combined weight of 1.5 kilograms with an estimated standard drug price (SDP) of P10.2 million.

Col. Cirilo Acosta Jr., director of the MCPO, said the arrest served as a strong statement that the police in Mandaue City are relentless in their anti-drug campaign.

He said their operations will continue in an effort to track down and dismantle drug networks operating in the city to ensure public safety.

Acosta added that had the suspect managed to distribute the illegal drugs to street-level pushers, a large number of people would have been affected.

He confirmed that the suspect had the capacity to distribute up to a kilo of shabu per week, based on intelligence gathered prior to the operation.

The MCPO chief also revealed that the suspect allegedly sourced the drugs from two inmates currently detained at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Kalunasan, Cebu City.

The sources were identified as alias JM and alias Ajok, with the latter reportedly being the suspect's brother.

Evidence recovered during the operation has been submitted to the PNP Forensic Unit in Mandaue City for chemical analysis.

The suspect will be facing charges for violating Sections 5 and 11, Article II of RA 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.