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Hotel room yields drugs

Police yesterday afternoon swooped down a popular but low-cost hotel, which police said is a drug outlet in Tagbilaran City, and confiscated several sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia from a suspected drug pusher, who is the son of the caretakers of the building owned by former city mayor Joe Torralba.

Also seized was an unlicensed .38 revolver gun loaded with a single bullet from the security guard-on-duty at Sky High Lodge, now renamed as Center City Inn located a few meters away from Philippine Maritime Instititue (PMI) along CPG Avenue, this city.

Police, armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Suceso A. Arcamo, have long monitored the alleged illegal drug business of Ryan Antonio, whose reported cohort is the hotel’s security guard who, according to the police, has been acting as Antonio’s runner, dealer and collector in the illegal drug trade.

Before the search warrant was served on Room 312, where Antonio, 28, lives with his wife and two kids, elements of the Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) and Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) had been checking in and out of one of the rooms at Sky High Lodge during the past few days while they were monitoring Antonio’s activity, said Police Senior Inspector Rolando Desiree Lavisto, PPSC/SWAT acting chief.

When the police arrived at Sky High Lodge, the security guard, identified as Ariel Rafols Cenecero, immediately ran to the third floor of the building and locked himself up inside the comfort room. Cenecero eventually opened the toilet and surrendered to the police.

Lavisto said the guard is reportedly employed by Bronze Cross Security and Detective Agency, whose main office is in Davao City.

“After investigation and inspection we learned that Cenecero is not a licensed security guard and is in possession of an unlicensed firearm,” Lavisto said. “In three instances, our asset had bought shabu from Cenecero while he is in duty at Sky High Lodge.”

The police drug raid shocked city residents, who have been appraised by the police during a Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting of the reported buy-and-sell of illegal drugs at hotel desk counters.

After the inventory of the seized shabu and drug paraphernalia, police brought Antonio to Camp Dagohoy where he will stay at the PNP lock-up jail pending filing of appropriate charges before the court tomorrow.

Police also put Cenecero in jail, and according to Lavisto, there is an indication that the security guard might testify against Antonio.

Lavisto said the police would still look into the extent of the liability of the security agency who issued an unlicensed firearm to one of its security guards. But the police chief has assured that the security agency cannot be implicated in the illegal drug charges.

Yesterday’s arrest of Antonio is an offshoot of orders issued by Police Senior Superintendent Dennis P. Agustin, Bohol PNP director, who has been leading a daily crackdown on illegal drugs in the province.

Antonio is a son of Corazon Antonio, a regular employee assigned at the City Treasurer’s Office since 2004. Antonio’s father, Eugenio, is the manager of Villa Pastores, one of ex-mayor Torralba’s real estate ventures.

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