FOUR alleged drug pushers, including a 78-year-old woman, and eight suspected users were arrested during an Oplan Pokemon or “One Time, Big Time” operation in Sitio Panaghiusa, Barangay Carreta last Saturday night.
Despite being a senior citizen, Fe “Pening” Coliflores was arrested by the operatives when she handed a police decoy a small sachet of alleged shabu.
“Di ba yung Pokemon Go, hahanapin mo sila. Maghahanap ka pag may nakita ka huhulihin mo siya so arrested sila (In Pokemon Go, you will seek the creatures. You’ll seek them and when you find them, you’ll catch them and arrest them),” City Director Joel Doria said in an earlier interview.
Doria said the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) launched Oplan Pokemon so the public can recognize that it is the criminals that they are pursuing.
The operation is inspired by the viral augmented reality game Pokemon Go in which players catch the creatures to level up their characters.
High-value targets
In the police’s Oplan Pokemon, the public is urged to report the “rare Pokemons,” or high-value targets to the police station nearest them.
Confiscated from Coliflores were two small sachets of alleged shabu, 10 rolled aluminum tin foil, a lighter and P5,500 in cash believed to be drug proceeds from the trade.
The other suspects were identified as Isaias Alfiz, 40; Kevin Tañeza, 21; and Mary Paculaba, 29. They were already subjected to Oplan Tokhang, but they continued their business.
Three small sachets of alleged drugs were seized from Alfiz. During a body frisk, he yielded a glass tooter, six disposable lighters, two aluminum tin foils and drug proceeds worth P6,060.
Seized from Tañeza were two small sachets of alleged shabu, including the one he handed to the decoy and money worth P400, while Libre had a small sachet of alleged shabu and proceeds worth P600.
During the buy-bust operation, eight persons were caught in the act having a pot session and yielded a small sachet of shabu each.
They were identified as Rogelio Vargas, 33; Hernan Tañeza, 23; Janwel Tero, 21; Roland Mondejar, 32; Henry Hercisio, 32; Manuel Lipon, 35; Michael Vinzon, 19; and Cesar Coliflores, 45.
Various drug paraphernalia were also taken from them.
Joint team
The operation was conducted by the City Intelligence Branch (CIB), Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB), City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (CAIDSOTG) and the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat).
Mabolo Police Station Chief Insp. Chavez Mandal requested the simultaneous buy-busts after the four pushers were placed under surveillance and while continuing their illegal drug trade in the barangay.