CEBU CITY – A mother and son were arrested for trying to sneak in 25 kilos of suspected shabu valued at P170 million here on Thursday morning, Jan. 23.
SUSPECTED shabu valued at P170 million were seized from a mother and son in Pier 4, Cebu City on Thursday morning, Jan. 23. (Contributed photo)
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas identified the suspects as Edward Loga, 41, truck driver from Isabel, Leyte, and his mother, Edna, 63, from Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.
The PDEA-7 said the suspects arrived aboard a vessel from Masbate that docked at Pier 5.
The suspects tried to leave aboard a car loaded in the vessel but were intercepted at around 7:30 a.m. in Pier 4 after they tried to avoid a routine K9 inspection.
Investigation Agent III Jonar Cuayzon, chief of the Intelligence and Investigation Section of PDEA-7, said the sedan driven by Edward was held and the PDEA-7 K9 team deployed Bayani, a five-year-old drug-sniffing Belgian Malinois to check on the car.
Bayani sat at the trunk of the car, indicating that a contraband was inside. It was opened and a carton with several packs of suspected shabu was discovered.
“We ourselves were shocked with what we discovered. That explained why he (looked) distraught during the inspection,” Cuayzon said.
Edward said he did not know the contraband and added that he was paid P20,000 to pick up the car in Manila, drive to Masbate, and travel to Cebu aboard the vessel.
PDEA-7 Regional Director Alex Tablate said it was possible that it was for distribution not just in Cebu City but also in neighboring areas. “We will conduct backtracking. For now, we have no concrete information yet,” said Tablate.
Cebu City police chief Police Col. Enrico Figueroa said the confiscation will have a big effect in the campaign against illegal drugs in the city.
Police Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, chief of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas, said further inspection of the contraband will be conducted.
Maranan said organized groups are the only ones capable of launching operations involving huge amounts of illegal drugs.