CEBU CITY – More than P80 million worth of suspected shabu were seized from three drug peddlers who were arrested in separate anti-illegal drug operations here on Saturday, April 23.
First to fall was an online delivery food driver who yielded packs of suspected shabu worth P68 million when he was cornered in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Guadalupe at around 5 p.m.
Operatives of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA 7) identified the suspect as Josh Vincent Camion, 24.
According to the police, about 10 kilos of shabu were seized from the suspect in what could be the biggest catch in a single day.
Col. Glenn Mayam, head of the Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas, said the police have been monitoring the suspect for the past eight months before he was arrested.
Mayam said police were able to track down Camion after several drug suspects who were arrested in previous operations pointed him as their alleged supplier of illegal drugs.
Mayam said Camion is a high-value individual in the regional level who has bosses in the illegal drug trade.
Mayam added that the suspect is a “bodegero” or a trusted man of a drug lord in charge of keeping huge amounts of illegal drugs.
Jan Mark Malibiran, assistant regional director of PDEA 7, said the suspect may have links to the Golden Triangle international drug ring.
"Golden Triangle covers the areas of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand that are the main producers of drugs, tons of drugs,” said Malibiran.
Malibiran said the PDEA 7 also suspects that 10 kilos of seized illegal drugs were part of the billions worth of shabu that were recently confiscated in the National Capital Region.
In Barangay Duljo-Fatima, operatives of the Mambaling Police Station seized one kilo of shabu from a 30-year-old man.
Major Dindo Juanito Alaras identified the suspect as Vincent Laniel Arnaiz Violanda, who was arrested past 4 a.m.
About two hours later, another drug suspect in Duljo-Fatima was also arrested.
Lyle Gonzales Padilla, 34, was caught possessing a kilo of suspected shabu, police said.
Police said the illegal drugs seized from Padilla and Violanda had an estimated value of P13.7 million.