A trusted aide of former City Mayor Dan Lim was arrested in possession of drugs in purok 4, barangay Ubujan, this city last Friday.

The City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (CAIDSOTG) confiscated a volume of shabu in a drug raid at the residence of Jedo  Lopena, a former member of the City Task Force created as “special team” by the former mayor.

CAIDSOTG leading officer, SPO4 Yolando M. Bagotchay Jr. told the Chronicle the team confiscated a large pack of shabu, two more packs of medium size containing shabu, and three small sachets of shabu found inside Lopena’s house.

Lopena, during the time of former Mayor Lim was considered as one of the tough guys who was used to track down alleged police characters. It was during the nine-year term of Lim that some bad elements in the city were utilized as members of his special task force who were provided with vehicles called “Spiders” for their mobility. 
Bagotchay’s team was composed of PO3 Jake Catane, PO3 Richard Timba, PO2 Ignacio Inojales, PO2 Richie Lovete, PO2 Gary Labial, PO2 Gary Labial, PO1 Bart Paredes, PO1 John Butch Epile, PO1 Ray Neil Bibat, PO1 Maris Aldrin Gabuya and PO1 Manuel Manatad.

They conducted the raid, in coordination with PDEA and under the supervision of City Chief of Police Nicomedes Olaivar, at around 8:10 p.m. on October 14, based on a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Suceso Arcamo of RTC Branch 47 in Tagbilaran City.

Meanwhile, police officers of Tubigon arrested a woman in possession of several sachets of shabu while about to board the boat to Cebu at around 7:30 p.m. on October 13.

Police Chief Inspector Almirante Bacayo identified the woman as Ludivina Ceniza, a 46-year-old married woman from barangay Pasil, Cebu City.

The Tubigon police officers conducted the operation upon a tip at around 5 p.m. that day from an agent of PDEA-Bohol having received an information from a confidential informant that a women coming from Tagbilaran City would be leaving from Cebu via Tubigon port to transport illegal drugs to Cebu.

In the classified information, the woman was clearly described as having short hair, wearing necklace and earrings in a blue and green shirt and jeans carrying a brown shoulder bag.

In response to the information from PDEA, Police Chief Inspector Almirante Bacayo immediately composed a team to intercept such person.

Considering the high probative value of the intelligence information and lack of sufficient time to process a search warrant since the subject person was about to embark the vessel to Cebu, the immediate operation was conducted.

The police team then proceeded to Tubigon Port waiting for the person described in the information.

Personnel from PDEA-Bohol also arrived shortly in the area, together with their confidential informant to serve as their spotter.

Indeed, at around 7:30 p.m., a woman was spotted by the team which perfectly fitted to the given description and was positively identified by the confidential informant as the target person.

The police officers noted that the target person looked uneasy, pale, and sweating.

A search was conducted in her shoulder bag made by one of the responding police officers, resulting to the discovery of a medium-size heat-sealed transparent sachet containing white crystalline substances believed to be shabu, wrapped in a used newspaper placed inside her wallet alongside a vessel ticket dated October 13, 2016 for a 7:45 p.m. trip.

The police team then arrested the woman and an inventory on the item seized was immediately conducted at the area of operation in the presence of two elected barangay officials of Tubigon, and a representative of DOJ.

The seized item suspected to be shabu was submitted to the Bohol Provincial Crime Laboratory for qualitative and quantitative examination and analysis.

A complaint for violation of Section 5, Article II, R.A. 9165 is being prepared against Ceniza.