THREE suspected drug pushers from Bacolod City were arrested in a police anti-narcotics operation evening of April 29, 2019 at Barangay Bitoon, Jaro, Iloilo City.
Suspects William Macapal, 59, of Purok Cagaycay, Barangay 2, Bacolod City; Ricky Cornello, 50, of Purok Cadena de Amor, Barangay 29, Bacolod City; and Eduardo Salimbot, 52, of Purok Paghidaet, Barangay 17, Bacolod City, were arrested after selling a sachet of suspected shabu worth P35,000 to a police poseur-buyer.
The suspects arrived in Iloilo from Bacolod City via Dumangas Wharf earlier that day.
The suspects agreed to sell illegal drugs to the undercover cop at around 8 p.m. Monday along the row of coastal restaurants at Bitoon village.
After the transaction was completed, members of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit -6 (RDEU-6), together with Iloilo City Police Station 3, seized from the trio more sachets of suspected shabu.
Police Captain Marc Dado, RDEU-6 team leader, said the suspected drugs recovered from the suspects was valued at P245,000.
Dado said that Macapal was the target of the operation.
We tried to arrest him several times in Bacolod City but it was not realized, he said.
Dado added that Macapal lives in the area swarmed by illegal settlers.
Before reaching his home, neighbors would usually alert him.
Dado said Macapals abode in Bacolod City served as a drug den.
BREAKTHROUGH
Police got a breakthrough in their surveillance operation after the buy bust operation against Leonor Jalandoon.
Jalandoon was killed in a police anti-narcotics operation at around 8:10 a.m. of April 28, 2019 in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
Dado said they learned that Macapal was Jalandoons underling after cellphone messages in the latters phone showed that they have been in touch with each other.
We pretended to be Jalandoons contact in Iloilo City, Dado said.
It was then that Macapal agreed to trade shabu with them.
MODUS OPERANDI
The suspects came from Bacolod City via BREDCO Port. They sneaked in sachets of shabu by taping the items to game fowls wing bars.
During the inspection, the suspects took out the fighting cocks from the box to show that nothing illegal was hidden inside the box.
When the operation happened, the suspects allegedly brought five game fowls from a certain Lester. They later delivered the fighting cocks to a certain Jun-Jun before the buy-bust happened.
The three suspects are now detained and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
