Police arrested a man deemed a high-value target (HVT) in their anti-narcotics drive and one of his alleged drug dealers in two successive buy-bust operations which yielded a total of P480,000 of suspected shabu in Tagbilaran City on Tuesday morning.

Tagbilaran City Police Station chief Lieutenant Col. Oscar Boyles identified the HVT as Arneil Joseph Rayo, 23, who was allegedly caught in possession of shabu worth P326,400 during a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Cogon at 11 a.m.

Boyles said that police set the operation against Rayo after he was identified as the drug source of Dennis Obemio who was collared and caught in possession of P102,000 worth of shabu earlier on the same day in Barangay Taloto.

Obemio’s cousin Eufemio Bantugan, a 49-year-old school teacher who was apprehended for drug charges last week, also pinpointed Rayo as his drug source.

“Matagal ng minomonitor ng mga tao ko yan [Rayo]. Yung nahuli namin noong nagdaan siya rin yung source kaya minimonitor ng husto para mahuli,” said Boyles.

In a report, police said that Rayo attempted to avoid arrest after he noticed that he was subjected to a staged drug transaction with a poseur-buyer leading to a brief chase.

He was however cornered inside his home where police allegedly found his drug stash.

Both Rayo and Obemio were detained at the Tagbilaran City Police Station lock-up jail while authorities prepared to file illegal drug charges against them for sale and possession of shabu. (WM)