NBI arrests 18 in shabu 'one-stop shop'

MANILA, Philippines –  Eighteen persons were arrested Thursday afternoon by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents who raided a compound in Tandang Sora, Quezon City that was allegedly being used as a “one-stop shop” for shabu by call center agents who work the night shift.

NBI sources said the agents raided 125 Libyan street in Salam Compound at Barangay Culiat after an informant confirmed that the compound was indeed a drug den. An undetermined amount of shabu and drug paraphernalia were seized at the compound.

 For P20, a drug user would get a sachet of shabu. Operators would lend them a lighter, a piece of foil, and a glass tooter to be used only inside the drug den. They would even teach the user how to use the paraphernalia, the source said.

The shabu den caters to about 40 drug users per hour, the asset told the NBI.

The users, while waiting their turn, would sometimes place bets on a video karera machine just outside the drug den. The informant told the NBI investigators that it seemed there was always a “party” in the drug den since a lot of people have been going to the place.

If the drug den was full, the informant said users would just consume the drugs outside.

The NBI said a lot of the users were students, guest relations officers, and office workers, most of whom are call center agents working nights or whose shifts start in the early morning.

The NBI refused to release the names of the 18 arrested persons pending investigation.