Police raid home of alleged Cebu drug pusher

CEBU CITY, Philippines—An alleged bigtime drug pusher, his aide and four other men were arrested while P100,000 worth of drugs and six firearms were seized on Saturday when the police raided his home in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City.

Criminal charges will be filed against Harold Dequitos, 25, and his aide, Joel Tabay Torcino, 25, on Monday, said Chief Inspector Romeo Santander of the Cebu City Police Office’s City Intelligence Branch (CIB).

He said the two suspects will be charged with violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and illegal possession of firearms.

Santander said a complaint for illegal drug use will be filed against the four men who were allegedly caught sniffing shabu inside a room during the raid on Dequitos’ house.

They were Armando Braga, 20, of Looc, Mandaue City; Dave Ryan Cabansag, 25, Basak, Lapu-Lapu City; Mark Anthony Kiamco, 28, of Hipodromo, Cebu City; Joseph Pielago, 24, of Cansaga, Consolacion town.

All six suspects were detained at the CCPO detention cell pending the filing of criminal charges.

The raid on Dequitos’ home was done on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Silvestre Maamo Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 17.

Santander said Dequitos had been placed under surveillance since early May after barangay officials reported to his office the suspects’ activities.

He said the barangay officials informed the police that Dequitos had converted his home into a drug den. At the same time, the suspect and his men would indiscriminately fire their guns to scare off people.

When policemen went to the house at 4:45 a.m. Saturday to conduct the search, Santander said, they noticed that it was surrounded by security cameras.

Policemen had to climb the roofs of the neighboring homes to get into the house.

When Dequitos detected their presence, Santander said he and Torcino turned off the electricity and tried to elude arrest through a small exit in the bathroom.

The raiders found were three packs of shabu worth around P100,000; drug paraphernalia, three .45 caliber pistols, one .38 caliber revolver, one .22 caliber pistol, a homemade gun and assorted bullets.

Over P1,000 in cash was also seized.