10 nabbed in drug bust

Elements of the Western Police District Drug Enforcement Group arrested Friday night the alleged top pusher in Manila’s University Belt and nine others during a raid at a boarding house in Sampaloc, Manila.

Police identified those arrested as Carmelita Gonzales, "alias Bebang," 44, the alleged top pusher; Arthur Castro, 24; Cherry Yu, 30; Lyn Orteza, 37; Joel Cruz, 32; Jonathan Impese, 27; Emmanuel San Diego, 43; Daniel Ladiha, 43; Joselito Marcelino, 42; and Isidro Iboses, 60.

According to Police Officer 2 Leonard Cipriano, prior to the raid, they received information that Gonzales was allegedly using her rented room at the boarding house located at 1228 Andalucia St. to sell shabu to drug addicts, most of them students.

After confirming the information, elements of the DDEG raided Gonzales’ room at about 10:40 p.m. and arrested her together with Castro, Yu, Orteza, Cruz, Impese, San Diego and Ladiha, who were all engaged in a pot session, Cipriano said. Seized from the suspects were 2.4 grams of shabu.

A follow-up operation later in a house along Sampaguita street in Sampaloc, resulted in the arrest of Marcelino Iboses, who according to police, was Gonzales’ alleged drug supplier. – Mike Frialde