4 drug offenders nabbed in Caloocan

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-narcotics agents arrested four suspected drug offenders in a buy-bust operation in Caloocan City Tuesday.

City police Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit head Chief Inspector Bartolome Tarnate said Ernesto Carlos, 60, yielded five plastic sachets containing shabu while Arsenio Maleza, 37, was collared after handing a sachet of drugs to a poseur buyer.

Two alleged drug users identified as Fernando Carlos, 26, son of Ernesto, and Jonathan Sy, 27, were reportedly caught sniffing shabu inside the Carloses’ house at 4 a.m.

City police chief Senior Superintendent Rimas Calixto had earlier ordered to arrest the elder Carlos, said to be a notorious drug peddler.

Calixto said the suspect was responsible for the proliferation of illegal drugs in the area.

A two-night surveillance operation conducted by the anti-narcotics operatives resulted in the arrest of Ernesto and his alleged henchman Maleza.

Apart from shabu, the suspects also yielded a digital weighing scale, a pair of scissors and other drug paraphernalia.

Police said Ernesto and Maleza were charged with drug pushing while Sy and Fernando were charged with illegal drug use.