Police scored anew in the campaign against illegal drugs with the arrest of a suspected big time drug peddler in Inabanga and a neighbor after a buy-bust operation at around 2 a.m. yesterday.
Inabanga chief of police, Inspector Sam Garcia Dacullo, identified the arrested persons as John Wendell Jumamoy, 41, and Restituto Tacatani, 40, both residents of barangay Ilaud, Inabanga.
Investigators prepare charges on violations of Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs) and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs) of Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 against Jumamoy and violation of Section 5 against Tacatani to be filed this week.
The Inabanga police team, in coordination with the Bohol office of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 regional office, conducted a buy-bust operation at dawn yesterday wherein Jumamoy allegedly sold a small heat-sealed sachet containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu to a poseur-buyer for an amount of P500.
The police team composed of Dacullo, PO3 Lydio Suarez Jr., PO3 Jose Mitchell Nioda, PO3 Sulpecio Virtudazo, PO2 Cerlito Estillore and PO1 Brynell Niones placed on record the sachet of suspected shabu and the 500-peso bill used as marked money recovered from Jumamoy.
During the frisk that followed, the police team recovered three more small heat-sealed sachets, and three medium heat-sealed sachets containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu from Jumamoy.
In relation to the operation, Tacatani was also arrested after being found holding a small sachet of suspected illegal drug.
Incidental to a lawful search conducted, the police team found four another small heat-sealed sachet containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu and three medium heat-sealed sachets also containing white crystalline substance believed to be shabu from Tacatani.
The police team submitted all the confiscated items to the crime laboratory at Camp Dagohoy in Tagbilaran City.
Both Jumamoy and Tacatani are now temporarily detained at the lock-up jail in Inabanga police station, while appropriate charges are being prepared for filing in inquest proceedings to the Provincial Prosecution Office in Tagbilaran City.