8 nabbed in Caloocan for drugs

Police arrested an alleged notorious drug pusher and seven alleged drug users in two separate operations in Caloocan City yesterday.

Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, chief of the Caloocan police, identified the suspected drug pusher as Joel Arocenas, 25, single, jobless, of 2988 Juan Luna St., Tondo, Manila.

According to Mantele, some 100 grams of metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu were seized from Arocenas in a buy-bust operation conducted by operatives of the Caloocan Police Drug Enforcement Unit.

Reports showed that Arocenas was arrested at around 3:30 p.m. while selling the illegal drugs to a policeman who acted as a buyer on A. Mabini Street.

A few hours later, seven men were caught having a shabu session in a house at Gumamela Street, also in the city. Authorities identified those arrested as James Yu, Joseph Cabasal, Noel Emeria, Samuel Paypasy, Alvin Morales, Rodelio Feliciano, and Michael Cama.

Police are set to file charges of violation of Republic Act 6425 or the Dangerous Drugs Act against Arocenas and the seven drug users.

Meanwhile, illegal gambling, particularly jueteng, is reportedly back in the northern part of Metro Manila as at least 10 individuals were arrested over the the weekend.

In Caloocan, police apprehended five alleged jueteng bet collectors in Bagong Silang.

The suspects were identified as Edgardo Alas, 18; Rodel Santiago, 21; Allan Pena, 25; Allan Marasigan, 22; and Alamin Santos, 18.

Another alleged jueteng bet collector, Alfredo Abalos, 54, was arrested along Malanting street, Amparo Subdivision, also in Caloocan, while reportedly collecting bets for the illegal numbers game.

In Valenzuela, two alleged gambling personnel, identified as Christy Dimagiba, 20, and Joan Cayetano, 29, were arrested while reportedly collecting bets for video-karera bookies during a raid in MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan.

In Malabon, police arrested Ricardo de Guzman, 32, an alleged sakla operator in Block 17, Kaunlaran Village in Barangay Longos.

Highly-placed sources told The STAR that illegal gambling such as jueteng, sakla, video- karera, video fruit game and illegal racing bookies, are now back with impunity in the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area.

They claimed that gambling operators amass hundreds of thousands of pesos in daily collections. – Pete Laude and Nikko Dizon