Brothers, teen fall in P646K drug bust

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Two brothers and their teen cohort were arrested in a police anti-narcotics operation evening of Dec. 11 at City Proper, Iloilo City.

Police identified them as Willy Oraño, 30; his brother Stephen Oraño, 40; and Jhonekel Jaleco, 18.

They were collared at Willy’s makeshift house in Barangay Nonoy, City Proper after allegedly selling a sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer.

Members of the Iloilo City Police Office-City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), together with the Iloilo City Police Station 1, also seized 18 more sachets of suspected shabu.

Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Benitez, Jr., ICPO-CDEU chief, said the seized drugs weighed around 95 grams and were valued at P646,000.

Benitez said they conducted a three-week surveillance against Willy following information of his alleged drug trading.

“Residents claimed to have frequently seen different visitors going to his makeshift shelter,” he said.

Willy was once arrested but it was for a petty crime while Stephen, a pedicab driver, has no police record.

On the other hand, Jaleco had just gone out of Balay Dalayunan, a home for the reformation of boys identified as children in conflict with the law.

The teenager was involved in the robbery-homicide of a Filipino-Chinese businessman in Iloilo City.

Reports indicated that Willy also coursed his drug transactions from a source at the New Bilibid Prison.

The suspects are now detained and will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).