By Jennifer P. Rendon
An alleged drug courier managed to sneak in two kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, in Iloilo before the Dinagyang Festival highlights on Jan 25-26, 2020.
One kilo was transported to Bacolod City while the other kilo was left in Iloilo for distribution.
This transaction was allegedly run by someone who should have cut his ties from the “outside” world after being jailed at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) for drug charges.
On Sunday, police intercepted 420 grams of shabu worth P6.3 million in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Ungka Dos, Pavia, Iloilo.
Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (IPPO-PDEU) also arrested Jennifer Nosotros, 42, and her son, John Rey, 20, both residents of Barangay Buntatala, Jaro, Iloilo City.
It wasn’t long before John Rey admitted that their operations were being run by his uncle, Jovern “Jovan” Abantao, who was convicted and jailed at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
John Rey said his uncle directed them on where, when, and whom to get the illegal drug supply from Manila.
John Rey narrated that a woman allegedly delivered his uncle’s shabu to Iloilo via roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ships. In October 2019, the woman delivered a kilo of shabu and another two kilos in January 2020.
When asked how an NBP inmate can call him from behind bars, John Rey said his uncle may have secured a phone.
A tearful John Rey then segued to wanting to finish his studies, saying he just wanted to help his mother.
“Napilitan lang si Mama kay para may ipakaon sa amon,” he said.
John Rey, a criminology student, is the eldest in a brood of seven.
His father, whom he claimed has no knowledge of their activity, works as a “kargador” at a hardware store. He also claimed that Abantao has been supporting his studies.
But John Rey cannot explain why an inmate was able to send him to school. He only said that his uncle might have pitied his mother for raising seven kids.
“He (Abantao) asked me to help and I did it to repay him for sending me to school,” he said.
John Rey was received P1,000 to P2,000 for every transaction he closed.
Meanwhile, police said they are still validating and doing follow-up investigations on John Rey’s statement.
“This is an intelligence-driven operation that the police were able to bust their scheme,” Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police chief, said.
Without going into specifics, Pamuspusan said intelligence operatives are validating information taken from the mother-and-son tandem.
Aside from the duo, police also arrested their alleged cohort in a follow-up operation around 1 a.m. Monday.
Lalaine Ereño, 56, was collared at her house in Zone 15, Barangay Arevalo, Iloilo City.
Members of Pavia Police Station seized 15 sachets of suspected shabu with a street price of P1.125 million.
The illegal drugs seized from Ereño were part of the 200 grams given to her a few days back.
Pamuspusan said the volume of confiscated drugs might affect the operations of the Abantao Drug Group.
“But it might take for long. It would also find someone to take over the illegal drugs operation vacated by the three attracted distributors,” he said adding, “No one is indispensable. Sooner or later, someone will take over them. They will be dropped and left to rot in jail.”
In the presence of the three suspects, Pamuspusan said that they are being used by big sellers to do their leg work.
“Right now, they are on the lookout for their replacements,” he said.
ABANTAO GROUP
Police Colonel Roland Vilela, Iloilo police chief, said that they are validating the clout of the Abantao group, where the three suspects were affiliated.
But Vilela said the gang could either be part of the Odicta or Prevendido drug groups, the two main drugs groups in Iloilo.
Abantao was arrested in 2016 for an illegal drug offense.
For a while, his operation was cut short. But during a surprise drug test at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) District Jail at Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo almost three years, he was found positive for drug use.
Meanwhile, another Abantao relative was also arrested in a buy-bust operation on July 30, 2019 in Arevalo, Iloilo City.
Warren Abantao, 25, of Zone 12, Calaparan, Arevalo, was collared after selling a sachet of suspected shabu for P5,500.
Operatives from the PNP Regional Drug Enforcement Unit also recovered from him 22 sachets of suspected shabu.
RDEU classified Warren Abantao, who was an Oplan Tokhang surrenderer, as a high-value target (HVT) level 1 drug personality.
