Police bust major marijuana trafficker in Lucena

Police arrest suspected marijuana trafficker Justine “Seth” Cerillo, 19 and two others who were caught in the act of sniffing cannabis smoke from an improvised “bongs” made from medicine vials.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCENA CITY POLICE / CONTRIBUTED

LUCENA CITY – A suspected major trafficker of marijuana in this city was arrested in a raid late Tuesday night, police said.

Senior Supt. Rhoderick Armamento, Quezon police director, led a team of operatives from local police drug enforcement unit in the raid conducted at the one-bedroom unit, allegedly being maintained as a drug den by Justine “Seth” Cerillo, 19, in Barangay 7 in this city around 10:30 p.m.

Police seized 21 plastic sachets of marijuana weighing 95.61 grams worth P4,780 in the street market.

Aside from Cerillo, the raiders also collared Mike Tristan Veraña and Carl Jesten Catahan, both 19, while sniffing cannabis smoke from an improvised “bongs” made from medicine vials.

“This confirms our intelligence report that due to the scarcity of ‘shabu’ in the market, local drug users are now shifting to marijuana to satisfy their cravings from drugs high,” Armamento told newsmen during a press conference Wednesday morning.

Marijuana smokers pay P100 per stick and another P100 for them to smoke or sniff the “weed” from the safety and comfort of the den.

Supt. Vicente Cabatingan, Lucena police chief, revealed that based on the text messages from Cerillo’s mobile phone, the “weed” supplies came from a distributor based in Manila.

Cerillo told newsmen that his recent supply was a “brick” of marijuana that cost P5,000.

At least 21 plastic sachets of marijuana weighing 95.61 grams worth P4,780 was recovered by the police in a drug raid in Lucena City on Tuesday night. PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCENA CITY POLICE / CONTRIBUTED

“That supply is worth P50,000 once distributed to drug users in the street market,” Cabatingan said.

He also revealed that Cerillo maintained a network of pushers in several high school and colleges in the city.

“Most transactions were done through text messages,” Cabatingan said.

He disclosed that he was also receiving intelligence report that big-time marijuana distributors have been targeting the province to become another market for “candy-laced” marijuana.

“It’s more potent. The kick is comparable to ‘ecstasy’ drugs but the price is prohibitive. Around P500 per candy,” he said.

Armamento said they would continue to conduct drug information and awareness forums and seminars to schools in the province.