‘Bigtime’ Cebu drug pusher yields P15M shabu — police

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police arrested an alleged bigtime drug pusher and seized P14.8 million worth of shabu in an operation in the coastal village of Pasil, Cebu City, past 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

Melchor Ocarol, 53, was detained at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to face charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for selling illegal drugs–a non-bailable offense.
Ocarol, who was considered a high-value target by the Cebu City police, is the brother of former Barangay Pasil chair Romeo Ocarol.
In a brief interview at the CCPO, Ocarol denied the accusations against him.
“The packs of shabu were just entrusted to me. I don’t own them,” he said.

Chief Insp. Christopher Navida, head of the City Intelligence Branch, said they had Ocarol under surveillance for a month before launching the operation.
Navida said Ocarol’s name was mentioned by a number of drug suspects arrested earlier by the police.
During his arrest, the suspect reportedly pleaded with the raiding team to let him go.
“He negotiated with us. He wanted us not to arrest him and to bring just a few packs of shabu,” Navida said.
The suspect also told the police that he was close to some barangay officials.

Navida said they did not give in to Ocarol’s plea and instead arrested him.
Recovered from the house of Ocarol were several plastic packs of shabu weighing 1.255 kilos worth P14,809,000.
Navida said Ocarol had been supplying illegal drugs in some barangays in Cebu City based on the suspect’s logbook recovered by the police.

Investigators believed that the suspect got his supply of drugs either from Manila or Ozamiz City.

The packs of shabu were reportedly transported to Barangay Pasil in Cebu City through sea vessels. CBB/rga