A male crew officer of a fastcraft plying the Tubigon-Cebu route was arrested after allegedly selling shabu to an undercover policeman during a drug buy-bust operation on Sunday.
The sting operation against suspect Jhonry Valde, the quartermaster or an officer responsible for steering Star Craft 6, was conducted inside the Tubigon pier at 6:35 p.m.
In a report, police said that Valde, a resident of Barangay Looc Villanueva, Mizamiz Oriental, sold shabu worth P500 to the police poseur-buyer.
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Meanwhile, operatives also allegedly recovered 10.6 grams of shabu with an estimated street value of P26,500 from the suspect’s possession.
According to Tubigon police investigator PO3 Crumwel Enriquez, Valde is a newly identified street-level drug target.
Tubigon authorities placed Valde under surveillance for a month through a police asset to monitor his movements and possible transactions prior to the buy-bust operation, said Enriquez.
Valde’s drug supply was reportedly sourced from Cebu while the suspect also has drug-linked contacts in Tubigon and neighboring towns.
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Enriquez also noted that monitoring operations will be sustained to identify other fastcraft and boat crewmen involved in the illegal drug trade.
Valde is now detained at the Tubigon lock-up jail while charges for violating Section 5 and Section 11 of Republic Act 9165 have been filed against him. (Allen Doydora)