Bohol’s biggest illegal drug haul: P11M-worth of shabu; courier arrested

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — An alleged drug dispatcher was arrested for possessing about P11 million worth of shabu (crystal meth) in a drug bust in Barangay Mansasa in this city on Wednesday night.

At least 36 packs and seven medium sized sachets of suspected shabu weighing about 935 grams were seized from Joseph Horcerada Alboladora, 43, around 8:40 p.m. by the Provincial Intelligence Branch-Drug Enforcement Unit of the Bohol Provincial Police Office(BPPO).

The confiscated illegal drug was the biggest in police’s anti-drug operations in the province.

Alboladora was detained at the Tagbilaran City Jail pending the filing of charges against him over violations of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

According to Alboladora, he was merely asked to deliver the drugs – a job he had been doing for a year.

He said he received instructions where to deliver the shabu through text messages sent by a certain“Nado.”

“I was scared but I need money,” he said.

The operation stemmed from the search warrant issued by Judge Sisinio Virtudazo of Tagbilaran Regional Trial Court Branch 4.

Supt. Cristopher Navida, of the Provincial Intelligence Branch, said authorities had been monitoring Alboladora after they received reports of the suspect’s alleged illegal drug trade.

Navida said Alboladora surrendered in 2016 during Oplan Tokhang, a campaign where police knocked on the doors of drug personalities and asked them to surrender.

He said Alboladora was allegedly one of the main sources or “bodegeros” of illegal drugs in Bohol.

Sr. Insp. Romar Labasbas, head of the Bohol Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, said Alboladora was a high value target who was in the drug watch list. /kga