Drugbusters target 10 ‘untouchables’
March 13, 2006 | 12:00am
The police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF) is determined to put an end to the operations of 10 more bigtime drug pushers in Metro Manila.
AIDSOTF commander Director Marcelo Ele Jr. said they are building a case against the 10 suspected pushers, who are all considered "untouchables" in their neighborhood.
"We are now collating and validating our evidence against them. We expect to get them at the soonest possible time," Ele told The Star.
The chief drugbuster refused to identify the suspects or the areas they are operating.
He said the 10 pushers are at the top of AIDSOTF’s order of battle on known personalities involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs in mostly squatter areas of Metro Manila.
Ele said information on the activities of the 10 pushers were provided by their own neighbors.
"We have been receiving of information from various sources and our validation showed that these 10 are among the most notorious in Metro Manila," he said.
Ele admitted that three of the 12 suspected drug pushers arrested during a raid last Friday in Barangay Pineda, Pasig City were also "untouchables" in their area." The three would be charged with non-bailable offenses today.
Ele has urged the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate barangay chairman Jaime de Leon for not lifting a finger against the drug pushers, one of whom was reportedly a relative.
Even as agents intensify their campaign against drug pushers, a 10-man AIDSOTF team will be visiting Metro Manila barangays starting today to teach officials on how to strengthen their Barangay Anti-Drugs Action Center (BADAC).
"Our mobile teams will help barangays, educating them on how to help us neutralize drug pushers," he said.
The mobile teams are part of AIDSOTF’s demand-reduction campaign.
"While we continue to go after drug pushers to curb the supply of illegal drugs, we are also working on checking the demand, which is our comprehensive approach in eradicating the drug problem in the country," Ele said.
The chief drugbuster expects other anti-drugs units in the country to emulate the successes of AIDSOTF in the war against illegal drugs in Metro Manila.
Northern Police District (NPD) anti-illegal drug agents arrested a suspected big-time pusher and two users in separate operations last Friday night in known drug havens in Caloocan City.
Agents of the NPD-District Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Group (DAID-SOTG), led by Chief Inspector Bartolome "Bong" Tarnate, apprehended Airah Molina, 22, at around 8:30 p.m.
Molina, a resident of Baltazar street, 10th Avenue in Caloocan, yielded four plastic sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of P20,000.
Baltazar street is a known drug haven in Caloocan, where police arrested at least 22 drug offenders last month. They discovered at least 50 drug cubicles at the Muslim compound. Using two K-9 dogs, the cops also seized some 34 grams of shabu worth P68,000 during the operation.
DAID investigator PO2 Ariosto Rana said charges have been filed against Molina before the Caloocan City prosecutor’s office.
Assistant City Prosecutor Manuel Guiyab recommended P200,000 bail for the suspect’s temporary freedom.
In another operation, the Caloocan police Station Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Unit (SAID-SOU), under Superintendent Napoleon Cuaton, arrested Elmer Mauricio, 34, and Reden Fan, 30, both residents of Bagong Barrio.
Cuaton’s men nabbed the suspects at 6:30 p.m. along De Castro street in Bagong Barrio.
Seized from the suspects was a small transparent plastic sachet of shabu weighing some 0.11 grams.
As this developed, NPD director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil advised Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) anti-narcotics cops that they can avail of the services of the DAID-SOTG K-9 dogs in their operations.
DAID has at least five K-9 dogs, two of which are fully trained in drug and bomb detection.
Tarnate said his K-9 dogs also helped in the recent arrest of suspected big-time Camanava drug trafficker Benito Kua.
Police arrested three people and confiscated more than a kilo of dried marijuana leaves during a buybust operation in San Juan.
The suspects, Rodelio Tugade, 39; his live-in partner, Alona Palacio, 35, and their courier, Dominador de la Cruz, 29, admitted being behind the proliferation of marijuana in Barangay Onse.
Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, San Juan police chief, said he ordered the buybust operation following complaints that the couple was the source of marijuana in their neighborhood.
At about 6:50 p.m. last Saturday, a police team arranged the purchase of two tea bags of dried marijuana leaves from De la Cruz. As soon as the suspect handed over the items to an undercover officer, Jocson’s team announced the arrest.
When frisked, De la Cruz yielded eight more tea bags of marijuana.
During tactical interrogation, De la Cruz pointed to the live-in couple as his source of the illegal drugs.
He then led police to R. Sotto street in Barangay Onse.
Tugade and Palacio did not resist arrest.
A subsequent search of the house yielded a brick and several packs of dried marijuana leaves.
Police are readying charges against the trio, who are detained at the San Juan municipal jail. — With Pete Laude
AIDSOTF commander Director Marcelo Ele Jr. said they are building a case against the 10 suspected pushers, who are all considered "untouchables" in their neighborhood.
"We are now collating and validating our evidence against them. We expect to get them at the soonest possible time," Ele told The Star.
The chief drugbuster refused to identify the suspects or the areas they are operating.
He said the 10 pushers are at the top of AIDSOTF’s order of battle on known personalities involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs in mostly squatter areas of Metro Manila.
Ele said information on the activities of the 10 pushers were provided by their own neighbors.
"We have been receiving of information from various sources and our validation showed that these 10 are among the most notorious in Metro Manila," he said.
Ele admitted that three of the 12 suspected drug pushers arrested during a raid last Friday in Barangay Pineda, Pasig City were also "untouchables" in their area." The three would be charged with non-bailable offenses today.
Ele has urged the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate barangay chairman Jaime de Leon for not lifting a finger against the drug pushers, one of whom was reportedly a relative.
Even as agents intensify their campaign against drug pushers, a 10-man AIDSOTF team will be visiting Metro Manila barangays starting today to teach officials on how to strengthen their Barangay Anti-Drugs Action Center (BADAC).
"Our mobile teams will help barangays, educating them on how to help us neutralize drug pushers," he said.
The mobile teams are part of AIDSOTF’s demand-reduction campaign.
"While we continue to go after drug pushers to curb the supply of illegal drugs, we are also working on checking the demand, which is our comprehensive approach in eradicating the drug problem in the country," Ele said.
The chief drugbuster expects other anti-drugs units in the country to emulate the successes of AIDSOTF in the war against illegal drugs in Metro Manila.
Agents of the NPD-District Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Group (DAID-SOTG), led by Chief Inspector Bartolome "Bong" Tarnate, apprehended Airah Molina, 22, at around 8:30 p.m.
Molina, a resident of Baltazar street, 10th Avenue in Caloocan, yielded four plastic sachets of shabu with an estimated street value of P20,000.
Baltazar street is a known drug haven in Caloocan, where police arrested at least 22 drug offenders last month. They discovered at least 50 drug cubicles at the Muslim compound. Using two K-9 dogs, the cops also seized some 34 grams of shabu worth P68,000 during the operation.
DAID investigator PO2 Ariosto Rana said charges have been filed against Molina before the Caloocan City prosecutor’s office.
Assistant City Prosecutor Manuel Guiyab recommended P200,000 bail for the suspect’s temporary freedom.
In another operation, the Caloocan police Station Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Unit (SAID-SOU), under Superintendent Napoleon Cuaton, arrested Elmer Mauricio, 34, and Reden Fan, 30, both residents of Bagong Barrio.
Cuaton’s men nabbed the suspects at 6:30 p.m. along De Castro street in Bagong Barrio.
Seized from the suspects was a small transparent plastic sachet of shabu weighing some 0.11 grams.
As this developed, NPD director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil advised Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) anti-narcotics cops that they can avail of the services of the DAID-SOTG K-9 dogs in their operations.
DAID has at least five K-9 dogs, two of which are fully trained in drug and bomb detection.
Tarnate said his K-9 dogs also helped in the recent arrest of suspected big-time Camanava drug trafficker Benito Kua.
The suspects, Rodelio Tugade, 39; his live-in partner, Alona Palacio, 35, and their courier, Dominador de la Cruz, 29, admitted being behind the proliferation of marijuana in Barangay Onse.
Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, San Juan police chief, said he ordered the buybust operation following complaints that the couple was the source of marijuana in their neighborhood.
At about 6:50 p.m. last Saturday, a police team arranged the purchase of two tea bags of dried marijuana leaves from De la Cruz. As soon as the suspect handed over the items to an undercover officer, Jocson’s team announced the arrest.
When frisked, De la Cruz yielded eight more tea bags of marijuana.
During tactical interrogation, De la Cruz pointed to the live-in couple as his source of the illegal drugs.
He then led police to R. Sotto street in Barangay Onse.
Tugade and Palacio did not resist arrest.
A subsequent search of the house yielded a brick and several packs of dried marijuana leaves.
Police are readying charges against the trio, who are detained at the San Juan municipal jail. — With Pete Laude
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