2 drug pushers nabbed in Cebu

CEBU CITY—Two big time alleged drug pushers were arrested while a total of P3.9 million worth of “shabu” were seized in separate operations in Cebu City on Saturday.

Separate complaints for violations of the Dangerous Drugs Act will be filed against Roberto Rapuela, 32, and Lovely Mondragon, 40, today at the prosecutor’s office.

A separate complaint of illegal possession of firearms would be filed after one .45-caliber, one .40-caliber, one .38-caliber and one 9-mm machine pistols were seized aside from 290 grams of shabu worth P3,422,000, said Supt. Rex Derilo, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas chief for Regional Special Operations Group.

Derilo said Rapuela was arrested during a raid in his house in Barangay Alaska Mambaling about 6 a.m. on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Wilfredo Navarro of Regional Trial Court Branch 19.

Derilo claimed that Rapuela was a Level 1 drug pusher who could dispose less than a kilo of shabu per week.

He said his men conducted surveillance for four months on Rapuela before they applied for and were granted a search warrant.

About 13 hours after the raid on Rapuela’s house, the police raided an inn in downtown Cebu City and arrested a woman drug pusher who was allegedly caught with P1.5 million worth of shabu.

Seized from Mondragon were 4 big packs of shabu at 25 grams each; another 6 medium packs of shabu at 5 grams each; and 30 small packs of shabu or a total of 127.4 grams amounting to P1.5 million.

Police swooped down on Mondragon inside the JJS Inn on P. Gullas Street in Barangay Sto. Nino, Cebu City at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday after she handed 25 grams of shabu to a policeman who pretended to be a buyer.

Supt. Romeo Santander, chief of the City Intelligence Branch of the Cebu City Police Office said that based on their information, most of her clients were students who would usually rent another room for the pot session.

Mondragon has been reportedly staying in the pension house for a long time.

“It had been their (drug pushers) modus to sell illegal drugs inside a low-cost pension house or inn. We will be recommending to have audience with the respective owners or managers of all pension houses and inns to give insights about this modus,” Santander said.