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[av_heading heading=’Guimaras’ top drug pushing suspect falls’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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January 15, 2018
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ILOILO City – Guimaras’ top drug pushing suspect was arrested in Barangay Rizal, Jordan town.
The 49-year-old Fidel Gula sold a sachet of shabu to an undercover police officer around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Thirty-five more sachets of shabu valued at P30,000 were recovered from him.
The buy-bust was a joint operation of the Police Regional Office 6’s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 6.
Gula had been under surveillance since 2016, said Senior Inspector Kennith Bermejo, RDEU chief.
“On Saturday there as an event in Jordan and we believed he had a considerable volume of shabu. It was good that our asset managed to lure him into a transaction,” said Bermejo.
The police and PDEA classified Gula a high-value target.
“It was really difficult to strike a deal with him. He was very careful with people transacting with him,” said Bermejo.
According to the RDEU chief, the suspect was a big shabu supplier in the island province of Guimaras and got his supply from Iloilo City.
“We were able to get information about him from drug pushers we previously arrested. We learned that he had a handler in Guimaras with connections in Iloilo City,” said Bermejo.
The RDEU hopes to catch the handler before the Dinagyang Festival highlights (Jan. 27 and 28) in Iloilo City.
Marking its 50th anniversary this month, the Dinagyang is expected to attract not only tourists but also drug traffickers.
There is a “big possibility” that drug syndicates will use new players the authorities are not familiar with, according to Bermejo.
Those in the police’s drug watch list – suspected pushers, runners, couriers – are under “tight watch”, he revealed without identifying them.
The most likely entry points of shabu are the seaports. Bermejo said the Maritime Command – the seaborne unit of the Philippine National Police – has been tasked to guard these ports in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard./PN
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