Twin drug busts in Cagayan de Oro yield P1.12-M shabu

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — For three residents who allegedly turned to the illegal drug trade to make a living, their million-peso hustle hit the dead end Thursday, July 16.

Police seized over P1.12 million worth of suspected shabu and arrested three individuals — including two high-value targets — in back-to-back buy-bust operations in Barangay Lumbia on Thursday.

The first arrest happened at 2:24 a.m. at KM-1, where operatives from Lumbia Police Station 8, the City Mobile Force Company (CMFC), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-10) arrested a 35-year-old female high-value individual identified as alias “Pet-pet.”

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READ: P77-M ‘shabu’ seized, 173 nabbed in Western Visayas

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Police described Pet-pet, an elementary graduate and resident of Barangay Iponan, as a neighborhood helper-turned-dealer who has allegedly peddled drugs for four years as her primary source of income.

Authorities confiscated from her 50 grams of suspected shabu valued at P340,000, along with a coin pouch and the P500 buy-bust money.

Hours later, at 10:10 a.m., a joint operation by the City Drug Enforcement Unit, CMFC, and PDEA-10 trapped two more suspects inside Lumina Homes, also in Barangay Lumbia.

Arrested were alias “Chan,” a 37-year-old married man classified as a high-value individual, and his accomplice, 45-year-old alias “Rolf.”

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Operatives seized 115 grams of suspected shabu worth P782,000 from the duo, along with drug paraphernalia and the marked buy-bust money.

Initial police investigations revealed that all three suspects are first-time offenders who resorted to the illegal drug trade due to a lack of stable livelihood.

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Maj. Joann Navarro, Police Regional Office-10 spokesperson, told the Inquirer the suspects, who will face charges for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are currently detained at Police Station 8.

The confiscated pieces of evidence have been forwarded to the Regional Forensic Unit 10 for examination, Navarro said.

Brig. Gen. Christopher N. Abrahano, PRO-10 director, commended the operatives, issuing a stern warning to those treating the drug trade as a fallback career.

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“Let this serve as a clear warning to individuals engaged in the illegal drug trade: PRO-10 will not relent,” Abrahano said. INQ /mr