CEBU CITY—A drug bust based on a tip from residents sickened by the sight of policemen going to a house in Pinamungajan town in western Cebu ended with the operation team arresting one of its own.
A team from the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Cebu Provincial Police Office ended up arresting one of its own.
PO1 Ian Patrick Nillas Carvellida, 29 and investigator of Pinamungajan police station, was allegedly caught sniffing shabu during a buy-bust operation inside the house of a suspected drug pusher in Sitio Dakit, Barangay Poblacion, Pinamungajan town, about 64.8 km west of here.
Carvellida was shot in the right leg after he drew his gun at the policemen during the raid.
SPO1 Reynaldo Solante, leader of the Provincial Intelligence Branch of the Cebu Provincial Police Office special operations team, said they did not know that Carvellida was a policeman because he was not wearing his uniform.
“He was sniffing shabu when he noticed that there were policemen. He drew his gun so we shot him,” he added.
It was only after he was shot that Carvellida admitted that he was a policeman.
“We did not expect that we would catch a policeman in the act of using drugs,” said Solante.
He added Carvellida admitted to the raiding team that the suspect was with two other policemen with a rank of police officer one who left shortly before the raid.
Aside from Carvellida, the police also arrested Allan Salazar, 49, an alleged level two drug pusher who was subject of the operation.
Solante said the operation stemmed from the requests of residents to raid Salazar’s house because they were aghast at seeing some policemen –some in their uniforms – going inside to use shabu.
“The residents felt scandalized seeing policemen in uniform going inside the house to sniff snabu,” he said.
He added the name of Salazar cropped up last year when it was in the phonebook of the cellular phone recovered from a suspected drug pusher who was shot and killed in a police operation.
Solante said that after two weeks of surveillance operation, a deal was made for an undercover policeman to buy shabu from the suspected pusher.
The transaction was conducted inside the house of Salazar past 9 a.m. on Friday.
While an undercover policeman was buying the drugs, he noticed Carvellida was also busy sniffing shabu in the living room.
When the transaction was consummated, other police operatives entered the house and announced the raid.
Carvellida immediately drew his 9mm gun but one of the policemen shot him in the leg.
Seized from the operation include at least 12 grams of shabu worth P141,000, drug paraphernalia and the Carvellida’s 9mm gun.
When they went to Pinamungajan police station to submit the report about the operation, Solante said they realized that Carvellida was the police investigator of the police station, although he was off duty at that time.
Solante said Carvellida was first brought to Pinamungajan district hospital then to a private hospital where he was confined.
Salazar was detained at the Consolacion police station pending filing of formal complaints for illegal drug trade against him.
Aside from the criminal charges for visiting a drug den and sniffing shabu, Carvellida would also face administrative charges that may cause his dismissal from the service.
He said the two other policemen who were with Carvellida would also be investigated.
“These erring policemen should be dismissed from the service,” he added. CDG
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