Wife of slain drug lord, new partner arrested in Cebu

Janice Godinez and her new partner Miguel were arrested by police in Lapu-Lapu. CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO

CEBU CITY—The widow of a slain drug lord and her new husband were arrested after P6 million worth of shabu and a high-powered firearm were seized from them in a buy-bust operation inside their house in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Friday night.

Janice Godinez and husband, Manuel, were locked up at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) detention cell in Cebu City pending filing of charges.

Janie was the wife of Joel “Tongol” Nodalo, a bigtime drug lord who was killed by a lone gunman inside a cockpit in Buenavista town, Bohol on June 23, 2005. She has since remarried.

Yogi Felimon Ruiz, PDEA-Central Visayas director, said an undercover agent bought P300,000 worth of shabu inside their residence in Barangay (village) Buaya, Lapu-Lapu past 9 p.m.

When the transaction was consummated, the other PDEA agents pounced on the couple.

Seized from the couple were at least P6 million worth of shabu, a KG9 submachine gun, three handheld radios with Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) frequency and a Palawan pawnshop cash transfer receipt.

Ruiz said he would discuss with Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, police director for Central Visayas, about the handheld radios and how the couple was able to access the police frequency that enabled them to know the police operations.

“Where did they get the frequency? I want to inform Gen. Taliño that there is someone (in the police force) that might have given the frequency to the syndicate,” he added.