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Expat nabbed for selling “opium”
The Freeman
|December 05, 2025
For the first time in Central Visayas, police were able to seize suspected opium from an Indian national businessman during an operation that led to his arrest at Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, on Wednesday afternoon, December 3.
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An Indian national, Lalith Chellaram Sangwani, 42, was arrested during a search operation at the VHT Arcade Building on F. Cabahug St., Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, on Wednesday afternoon that yielded P208,000 worth of suspected opium. ROMEO MARANTAL
(ROMEO MARANTAL)
The arrested suspect was identified as 42-year-old Lalith Chellaram Sangwani, a resident of the area who runs a mini-mart selling Indian goods, where the suspected opium was also found.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Philippine National Police - Drug Enforcement Group, Special Operations Unit 7, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7 (PDEA-7).
This story is from the December 05, 2025 edition of The Freeman.
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