Anti-drug operatives arrested two former policemen in separate buy-busts here late Friday night.
Lt. Clarezel Perez, city police office spokesperson, on Saturday identified the suspects as Genovevo Abapo alias “Totoy Bibo,” 47, of Rosario Village Barangay Lagao, and Elliver Cablitas, 55, of Doña Soledad Subdivision in Barangay Labangal.
She said Abapo was arrested around 11 p.m. on Tangile Street in Barangay Lagao after selling a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500 to an undercover operative.
In a subsequent search, Perez said the suspect also yielded another sachet of shabu worth PHP1,200.
Around 11:50 p.m., authorities arrested Cablitas in a follow-up operation at a portion of Doña Soledad Subdivision.
The suspect sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500 to a police officer who posed as a buyer.
“They are included on our watchlist and considered as high-value targets,” Perez told reporters.
She said their personnel subjected the former policemen to close surveillance for several weeks after their names came up as among the alleged contacts of several pushers arrested in recent anti-drug operations.
Investigators are looking at the possible connections of the two suspects, who both joined the police service in 1995.
Abapo, who reportedly availed of early retirement, was a former Staff Sergeant while Cablitas was a Police Officer 1.
Records showed that Cablitas was dismissed from service nearly a decade ago after testing positive for illegal drug use, and was also arrested and jailed for a drug-related offense.
Cablitas is the husband of the late newspaper publisher, who was among the journalists from this city killed in the November 2009 Ampatuan massacre.
The suspects will be charged with violation of Sections 5 and 11 or selling and possession of dangerous drugs of Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Source: Philippines News Agency
