Bautista: Chinese in P20-M drug sting ‘lucky’

MANILA, Philippines - After he received flak for slapping a drug suspect in August, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista joked that another alleged narcotics peddler was “lucky” he was still asleep when he was arrested on Friday morning. 

Speaking at the 75th anniversary of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Bautista noted that the wrapper used for the shabu seized in Barangay Capitol Site on Friday was the same one used for the illegal drugs seized during an operation in Philcoa on Aug. 8.

During the operation on Aug. 8 by the QCPD, Bautista lost his cool and slapped Xu Zhen Zhi after the drug suspect did not answer him when he asked where the suspect sourced the illegal drugs. 

The drug suspect in the Aug. 8 sting yielded shabu with an estimated value of P15 million. 

On Friday, police seized shabu with a street value of P20 million from suspect Jiacheng Shi in Barangay Capitol Site, said QCPD director Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao. 

Yesterday, Bautista went on to say that the suspect in last Friday’s sting was “lucky” the operation happened in the morning. Bautista said in jest that he was still asleep at that time. 

However, he backtracked and said policemen should always respect human rights and professionalism in the conduct of their duty.