Intelligence officers of the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) on Thursday seized shabu worth P295,000 during a drug buy-bust operation in Tagbilaran City.
According to Sr. Insp. Romar Labasbas of the BPPO Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB), they confiscated the drug stash from alleged bug-time drug pusher Marcial Balijon, 37, and his companion Richie Bongo, 30, following a staged drug transaction in Barangay Manga.
Balijon was peddling large amounts of illegal drugs prior to his arrest, said Labasbas, noting that the suspect has been pinpointed by drug pushers with smaller operations as their shabu source.
Although the sting operation was intended to apprehend Balijon, police have also included Bongo, who was earlier convicted of illegally carrying a bladed weapon, in their watch list.
Bongo allegedly made connections in the illegal drug trade while incarcerated and was subjected to Oplan Tokhang back in 2016.
Bongo and Balijon were taken into police custody after allegedly selling shabu worth P500 to a police poseur-buyer and being caught in possession of 25 grams of shabu.
Both were detained at the BPPO headquarters at Camp Franciscio Dagohoy in Tagbilaran City and will be facing charges for sale and possession of illegal drugs.
Last week, the PIB together with operatives from the Tagbilaran City and Corella Police Stations arrested suspected associates of Balijan at a bus station in Tagbilaran City.
The apprehended suspects were identified as Roselo Cinches, 40; Michael Cuizon, 37; Rowel Mondragon, 38; and Arthur Boloron, 46. (W. Maestrado)