A drug suspect evaded arrest but two packs of suspected shabu, weighing 20 grams and worth about P236,000, were seized from his house in Purok Orchids, Sitio Canday-ong, Barangay Calindagan in Dumaguete City recently.

A composite team from the Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Group, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Dumaguete Police swooped down on the house of Ernesto Caba, alias “Erning”, 54, on the strength of a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Gerardo Paguio Jr.

The operation was witnessed by barangay kagawad George Paloma and the media, but the respondent was not around when the operatives arrived. The raiding team, however, recovered two “bultos (big packs)” of suspected shabu and one small sachet containing suspected shabu residue.

Dumaguete City police chief, Supt. James Goforth, supervised the operation that was headed by PAID-SOTG team leader, Chief Insp. Benedick Poblete.

Poblete said the search warrant against the “Level 3 drug personality” was applied by PAID-SOTG after a long surveillance operation on the nefarious activities of the suspect, including a test buy and a tip from his neighbors.

But Caba's daughters, who were present during the search, claimed the evidences recovered were planted by a police officer.

Claire and Lyka Caba had accused an unnamed policeman of entering their house and looking for their father, before the search warrant was served. The sisters claimed they saw the policeman going near the refrigerator, where the suspected shabu were later recovered.*JG

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