Five pushers nabbed hours apart in Iloilo City

By Jennifer P. Rendon

They’ve been warned. Then, there’s the actual arrest. Prosecution and incarceration followed.

But it seems that nothing could convince drug pushers from stopping their trade.

The most recent arrests involved five suspected drug pushers who were collared hours apart in four anti-drug operations.

The latest involved a 39-year-old alleged high-value individual (HVI) drug personality from Iloilo province.

Danilo Ardonia, 39, of Barangay Pakiad, Oton, Iloilo, was nabbed at 12:45 p.m. on Feb 23 at Zone 1, Barangay Mohon, Arevalo, Iloilo City.

Members of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (RPDEU) 6 and the Iloilo City Police Station 6 arrested the suspect after he sold two sachets of suspected shabu worth P35,000 to a police poseur buyer.

Police also recovered from Ardonia 11 more sachets of suspected shabu, two pouches, a mobile phone, P1,370 cash, a Kawasaki Baja motorcycle, and other non-drugs items.

Captain Glenn Soliman, RPDEU-6 team leader, said the seized illegal drugs weighed around 65 grams and were valued at P442,000.

The night before Ardonia’s arrest, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) conducted three operations in less than two hours.

Members of the Iloilo City Police Station collared Jevy Hemor at C1 Road, Barangay San Jose, Arevalo around 8:05 p.m. Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Hemor, a resident of Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district, allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth P2,000 to a police undercover agent.

He later yielded four more sachets.

At 8:20 p.m., members of the Iloilo City Police Station 5 and the ICPO City Drug Enforcement Unit arrested Benjie Gella, 36, at Barangay Bolilao, Manduriao, where he also resides.

He sold two sachets of suspected shabu for P2,000.

Two more sachets of shabu were seized from his possession.

The recovered substance was valued at P34,000.

Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Police Station 4, together with ICPO-CDEU, also nabbed another suspected drug peddler around 9:40 p.m. at Barangay North Baluarte Molo, Iloilo City.

Police arrested Jeffrey Glorioso, 51, and Ely Ann Surmaco, 31, both residents of North Baluarte village.

The duo allegedly confederated in selling a sachet of suspected shabu worth P1,500.

Recovered from them were four small and two big sachets of suspected shabu, a mobile phone, an improvised tooter, three bundles of small plastic sachets, a caliber .38 pistol with two slugs inside the barrel, three ammunition and an empty cartridge of caliber .38 revolver, and several non-drug items.

The seized drugs weighed around 10 grams with a standard drug price of P74,800.

All suspects will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).

On top of that, Glorioso and Surmaco might also face a case for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act).