A welder from Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, was arrested in a police operation in Barangay Calamba after authorities reportedly recovered suspected shabu valued at around ₱1.53 million, according to a report by Cebu Daily News/Inquirer published September 18, 2026.
The arrest places another Cebu City drug operation under scrutiny as authorities continue targeting suspected illegal-drug activity in communities including Labangon and Calamba.
The substance seized in the latest operation was described by authorities as suspected shabu. The final identification and weight of the substance would depend on the proper laboratory examination and evidence-handling procedures.
Labangon and Calamba have figured in previous drug operations
The latest arrest comes against the backdrop of previous anti-drug operations in the two Cebu City barangays.
In a 2022 operation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 7 dismantled suspected drug dens in Barangay Calamba and Barangay Labangon. SunStar reported that eight people were arrested in Calamba, where authorities seized suspected shabu valued at about ₱74,000. A separate operation in Labangon led to four more arrests and the seizure of about 10 grams of suspected shabu valued at ₱68,000 at the time.
The two areas have also appeared in earlier high-value drug cases. In September 2021, The Freeman reported that authorities seized around ₱2 million worth of suspected shabu in two separate Cebu City operations, including an arrest on A. Lopez Street in Labangon.
In another case reported in October 2019, police seized more than ₱11.5 million worth of suspected shabu during an operation along V. Rama Avenue in Barangay Calamba. Two people were arrested in that operation, according to The Freeman.
What happens next
The latest case is expected to proceed through the standard evidence examination and legal process. The seized substance must be properly examined and documented, while the arrested suspect will face the appropriate proceedings based on the evidence gathered by authorities.
It is important to distinguish suspected shabu from a substance that has already been conclusively identified in a laboratory examination. Likewise, an arrest or accusation does not by itself establish criminal guilt; that determination belongs to the courts.
The ₱1.53-million seizure nevertheless adds to a series of drug-enforcement operations that have previously taken place in and around Labangon and Calamba.
Source note: The primary report is Cebu Daily News/Inquirer. I could verify the headline and current publication listing, but the Inquirer article itself returned a 403 error to the web crawler, so I have not invented details such as the suspect’s name, exact amount/weight, arrest time, or specific evidence allegedly recovered beyond what was independently visible.
