Eastern Visayas police nab 6, seize shabu worth P600M in Samar

Brigadier General Dionardo Carlos shows the confiscated ‘shabu’ worth P600 million to the media. (INQUIRER PHOTO/JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY –– Policemen in Eastern Visayas on Thursday arrested six persons and seized packs of shabu (crystal meth) amounting to P600 million, the biggest drug haul in the region.

Police Brigadier General Dionardo Carlos, Eastern Visayas’ police director, said a total of 44 packs of shabu weighing 88.49 kilograms were found inside sports utility vehicles during a checkpoint in Barangay Buñagan, Gandara town in Samar province about 4:30 p.m.

The prohibited items, he said, were placed in traveling bags.

Arrested were Cesar Uy, 49, a resident of General Trias, Cavite; Steven Perez, 37, of Cebu City; Elbert Abella, 57, of Toledo City, Cebu; Jeralou Laborte, 34, of Cebu City; Leonard de los Reyes, 33, of Cebu City; and a 14-year old boy from Cebu City.

Laborte is four months pregnant.

Carlos said the suspects came from Manila and were on their way to a still unknown destination when they were arrested.

He said an informant told them about the suspects’ activities.

“This is our biggest accomplishment here in the region and I would like to commend (my men) for this accomplishment. They were able to save the lives of those who were supposed to use these illegal drugs,” Carlos said in a press conference.

Carlos said all suspects, except for the 14-year-old boy, would be detained at the Gandara police detention facility where they would be charged for transporting and possession of illegal drugs.

The boy was turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for proper intervention.

Carlos said they were investigating if the suspects were directly involved in the illegal drugs trade or were just asked to deliver these contraband.

Sought for comment, Laborte said she was not aware that they were transporting illegal drugs.

“Waway (Leonard De los Reyes) just asked me to accompany him and he will give me P50,000. I don’t have any idea that we have shabu in the vehicle,” she said.

Except for De los Reyes, she said she did not know the other suspects.

Laborte, a mother of three children, said they first met in a restaurant in Manila and traveled to Eastern Samar through the port in Allen town, Northern Samar.

Carlos said he instructed his men to monitor the region’s main ports to avoid the entry of illegal drugs.

Eastern Visayas, he said, is considered a gateway to Luzon and Mindanao. /lzb