From Overseas Entertainer to Drug Runner: A Story of Desperation
In a stark reminder of how poverty can drive people to desperate measures, a 49-year-old former japayuki was arrested during an anti-drug operation in one of Cebu City's crowded neighborhoods.
The suspect, known only as "alias Bella," was apprehended at 4:40 in the afternoon on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Sitio Punyang, Barangay Duljo-Fatima. The operation yielded nine packets of shabu with an estimated street value exceeding three million pesos.
The Raid and Recovery
Authorities from the Mambaling Police Station conducted the buy-bust operation that led to Bella's capture. The seized substances, confirmed to be methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, represent one of the significant drug hauls in the area recently.
Following standard procedure, the suspect was detained at the Mambaling Police Station where she now faces charges for possession of illegal drugs under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Poverty as the Driving Force
In an exclusive interview with SunStar Superbalita Cebu, Bella revealed that extreme financial hardship pushed her into the illegal drug trade. The unmarried woman, who previously worked as an entertainer in Japan, confessed that she turned to selling drugs after her legitimate income source disappeared.
"I was forced into this because I had no other income after stopping my work as a japayuki," Bella explained during the interview. She further disclosed that she has siblings whom she helps support financially, adding pressure to find income sources.
The former overseas worker described operating at the lowest level of the drug distribution chain. For every P200 worth of shabu she managed to sell, she earned only P20 as commission - a meager amount that highlights her precarious financial situation.
Bella also claimed that neighbors involved in the illegal drug trade initially recruited her into the business. This revelation points to the ongoing challenge of drug proliferation in certain communities where poverty creates vulnerability to criminal recruitment.
The case of alias Bella underscores the complex social issues underlying the drug problem in the Philippines, where economic desperation often intersects with illegal activities, creating cycles of poverty and crime that prove difficult to break.
