Toril police operatives seized P1 million worth of shabu from three alleged big-time drug suppliers, two of them are recidivists, in Barangay Crossing Bayabas, Toril District pre-dawn yesterday.
Lt. Col. Jed Clamor, the Toril Police Station commander, said suspects Romel Hognatan Padolina, Joel Tejano Banabana, and Edmundo Rosete Ante are big-time drug suppliers operating in the city.
Padolina, 53, a computer programmer, is from Lagao, General Santos City. Banabana, 44, a cellphone technician and Edmundo Rosete Ante, 54, a taxi driver, are residents of this city. Banabana resides in Piapi Boulevard, Barangay 21-C, while Ante is from Mudiang Ilang, Tibungco.
Clamor said an agent was able to buy large sachet of shabu from Padolina for P14,000 along MacArthur Highway in Crossing Bayabas at 3:50 a.m. Sunday.
A searched yielded shabu worth P1 million for the possession of the three suspects. An improvised glass tooter with suspected shabu residue was also recovered.
Padolina and Banabana are under the watchlist of the Davao City Police Office’s Directorate of Intelligence (DI).
They were both released from the city jail last December as they entered a plea bargaining to avail a reduced penalty.
Clamor said they conducted the operation after receiving reports that the suspects returned to their illegal activity.
He said the suspects were placed surveillance for “a long period of time.”
Charges are now prepared against the suspects.
In another drug operation, police operatives seized P80,000 worth of drugs from a laborer in a buy-bust operation in Malagamot Road, Panacan on Saturday night.
Major Roy Mateo, the commander of Buhangin police station, identified the suspect as Jode Pacomio Mersula, 30, laborer, of Purok 25-C, Malagamot.
Mateo said Mersula was arrested when a poseur buyer purchased from him a small sachet containing white substance believed to be shabu at 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
They recovered from the suspect three other plastic sachets, in various sizes, suspected to contain white crystalline substance believed to be shabu.
The confiscated drug items, weighting 6.72 grams, have a street value of P80,000.
