Cebu City buy-bust: Man from Makati City nabbed with P6.8M shabu

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 40-year-old man from Makati City is now under the custody of local authorities after he was arrested in a buy-bust operation that led to the seizure of one kilogram of suspected shabu worth an estimated P6.8 million.

The operation was conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) on Thursday, July 3, in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

Aside from the suspected illegal drugs, authorities also recovered the marked buy-bust money, a smartphone, and other non-drug evidence.

READ: 3 arrested in Cebu City drug den raid; alleged maintainer escapes

The confiscated suspected shabu has been submitted to the PDEA-7 Regional Office Laboratory for examination and proper disposition.

According to a report from PDEA-7, the suspect, identified only by the alias “Niño,” is an unemployed resident of Barangay Cembo, Makati City.

READ: 18-year-old out-of-school youth nabbed in Cebu City buy-bust

He reportedly arrived in Cebu on the morning of July 2 aboard a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel.

Before his arrest, PDEA-7 received intelligence reports that the suspect was operating in Central and Eastern Visayas, allegedly distributing three to five kilograms of shabu each week.

Acting on the information, authorities conducted a three-week case buildup that culminated in Niño’s arrest during a buy-bust operation in Cebu City on Thursday, July 3.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), in coordination with operatives from the Guadalupe Police Station, the Philippine Coast Guard Central Visayas Intelligence Unit and Intelligence Group, and the Police Regional Office 8 Regional Intelligence Division Tracker Team, arrested the suspect during a buy-bust operation in Sitio Tipolo, Barangay Guadalupe, at around 2:57 a.m. on Thursday, July 3.

PDEA-7 said the suspect had previously been arrested in the National Capital Region in 2021 for possession of illegal drugs.

He was later released after entering into a plea bargaining agreement in 2024.

As of this writing, Niño remains detained at the PDEA-7 custodial facility in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, while authorities prepare to file charges against him.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.