PDEA charges ‘big-time pusher’

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 yesterday filed charges against a suspected big-time drug pusher who was arrested in a buy bust operation in Sitio F. Villa, Barangay T. Padilla last Friday.

Suspect Hubert Villacarillo, 42, has been in PDEA 7’s watchlist of drug personalities since 2004.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac, Jr. said they received several complaints from different sectors against Villacarillo and these prompted them to conduct a buy-bust operation against the suspect.

Accompanied by an informant, PDEA operatives transacted with Villacarillo at his house where the suspect personally handed two small sachets of white crystalline substance believed to to be shabu in exchange for P1,000 buy bust money.

Villacarillo was tagged as a level two drug pusher who can dispose of not less 200 grams of shabu every week.

Drivers of utility vehicles and students from different institutions are said to be his customers.

Aside from the sachet of shabu that he allegedly gave to the poseur buyer, operative also seized from Villacarillo 10 other small packs and five big packs of suspected shabu weighing about 50 grams approximately.

PDEA 7 spokesperson Jessie Tabanao said the seized items have a street value of about 150,000.

The confiscated items were submitted to a quantitative examination at PDEA 7 Crime Laboratory.

Villacarillo was charged yesterday for violating Section 5 and Section 11 of Article II of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. —/MBG (FREEMAN)