‘Bilibid inmate’s minion’ nabbed in drug bust

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Another suspected drug pusher who claimed to have sourced his supply through a contact inside a jail was arrested in a police operation evening of Nov. 7 in Arevalo, Iloilo City.

The suspect was identified as Lovechild Jovel Yabot, 39, of Barangay Calumpang, Molo district.

Members of the Iloilo City Police Office-City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), together with the Iloilo City Police Station 6 and Coast Guard District a Western Visayas (CGDWV)-Intelligence Group, collared Yabot in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Calaparan, Arevalo.

Yabot allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu for P15,000 to a police poseur-buyer.

Following his arrest, the suspect yielded seven more sachets of suspected shabu, a mobile phone, a plastic canister and cash of P93.

Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Benitez Jr., CDEU chief, said the seized drugs weighed around 40 grams and had an estimated standard drug price of P272,000.

Benitez said the operation was mounted after a three-week surveillance operation.

Some of Yabot’s customers are drivers, he added.

Information showed that the suspect sourced his supply from a certain Jovan.

Yabot’s source could be Jovern Abantao alias Jovan, a big-time drug personality who is jailed at the New Bilibid Prison.

Several arrested high value individual (HVI) drug personalities have pointed to Abantao as the one who facilitated the drug deals.

Yabot is now detained and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).