(Eagle News) — Ozamiz Police have seized over P100 million worth of shabu believed to be the remnants of the illegal substances being sold by the Parojinog family.
In a radio interview, Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, said the 14 kilograms of drugs worth P112 million were seized during separate operations in the city since Wednesday, December 6.
He said the operations began with the arrest of Butch Merino, a former driver of then-Vice Mayor Nova Parojinog, who was previously arrested and is now detained for drug-related charges.
Merino was arrested after authorities at a checkpoint found a .38 cal. pistol and two kilograms of shabu on him.
According to Espenido, upon questioning, Merino admitted that he was supposed to meet up with the supplier, Melden Rabarez, private secretary of the former vice mayor.
She was later arrested in an entrapment operation together with Roselyn Walohan.
Based on information provided by the suspects, authorities held operations that saw another eight kilograms of shabu and another two kilograms of shabu recovered.
“Lumang shabu ito..Galing daw ito kay (Nova Parojinog). Dagdag na ebidensiya ito (sa kaniya),” Espenido said.
The former vice mayor was among those arrested by police following raids in the Parojinog residences that saw her father, then-Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., mother Susan, among others, killed.
The police–led then by Espenido—said they were about to serve search warrants in those properties when the Parojinogs’ men fired at them, forcing them to return fire.
Bags of shabu, an M-16, cash, among others, were recovered by authorities in those raids.