CEBU CITY (PNA) – Members of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) arrested a suspected big-time drug trafficker at dawn Tuesday and seized from him some R14.8-million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” in a buy-bust operation in his residence in Barangay Pasil, Cebu City.
Chief Inspector Christopher Navida, head of the CCPO City Intelligence Branch, identified the suspect as Melchor Ocarol, 53.
Navida said police recovered from Ocarol’s house several plastic packs of shabu weighing 1.255 kilograms worth P14,809,000.
Ocarol, who was considered a high-value target by the CCPO, is the brother of former Barangay Pasil chairman Romeo Ocarol.
Navida said Ocarol’s name was mentioned by a number of drug suspects arrested earlier by the police.
Navida said they conducted surveillance operations at Ocarol’s place for a month, which led to the buy-bust operation and his arrest at past 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Ocarol was detained at the CCPO pending the filing of charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for selling illegal drugs.