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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Drug pusher-cum-gunman nabbed in Cebu City buy-bust

Drug pusher-cum-gunman nabbed in Cebu City buy-bust

Published Jul 20, 2023 07:24 am
CEBU CITY – Police arrested a 33-year-old man and seized suspected shabu worth P7.5 million in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Sawang Calero here on Wednesday, July 19. Police Col. Ireneo Dalogdog, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, said that aside from being a high-value individual, the suspect, Jake Merson Rafols Mercado, is also a gun-for-hire and had been in and out of jail. “He was involved in a shooting incident in Sawang Calero and no less than the victim identified him as the gunman,” Dalogdog said. Police said the suspect was hired to kill two individuals in the area before he was arrested.
SUSPECTED shabu worth P7.5 million were seized from Jake Merson Rafols Mercado during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City on Wednesday night, July 19. (Cebu City Police Office) Dalogdog added that the suspect receives his illegal drugs supply through an inmate detained in Abuyog, Leyte. “Aside from the inmate, he also has a contact in Cebu City for his source of illegal drugs,” said Dalogdog. Mercado was first arrested in 2015 for drug charges. “He was also charged for theft. He was granted probation in 2018 and was released from jail,” Dalogdog said. Mercado was again arrested in 2020 for drug charges but was able to post bail. In 2021, the suspect was arrested again for an illegal drug offense but availed of the government’s plea-bargaining agreement that enabled him to step out of jail this year. Dalogdog said the arrest of the suspect may reduce shooting incidents in the city. “I commend the drug enforcement unit of the Sawang Calero Police Station for the arrest of the suspect. With the arrest, we are expecting that shooting incidents in the city will go down. We are thankful to our station commanders for their active anti-criminality campaign,” said Dalogdog.

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BUY-BUST Cebu City Crime Drug pusher Shabu
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