Pampanga shabu bust nets 4 ‘drug traffickers’

Four suspected drug traffickers were arrested and 892.9 grams of shabu were seized in a drug buy-bust in Mexico, Pampanga last Tuesday, thanks to an informant of Vice Gov. Mikey Arroyo.

Suspects Mike Chua Ong, Peter Chua, Lanie Ibañez and Rommel Magtoto were collared after allegedly selling shabu worth at least P700,000 to a poseur-buyer at the parking lot of a department store.

The drug sting was conducted by joint elements of the Central Luzon police, the regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Arroyo said he was informed about the operations of the alleged illegal drug syndicate, prompting him to seek the help of Superintendent Christopher Laxa, CIDG-Region 3 chief; Superintendent Sonny David, PDEA-Central Luzon head; and Superintendent Sunny Magpayo, head of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Group.

Police said the alleged drug traffickers, who operate in the Pampanga cities of Angeles and San Fernando, had evaded previous entrapments.

Meanwhile, PDEA agents also scored in Northern Luzon with the arrest of six suspected members of a drug syndicate in separate buy-busts Tuesday night. The seized shabu was valued at P191,400.

First to fall were suspects Erwin Ico, 32; Jay Hidalgo, a computer science instructor in Baguio City; and Arnel Rabalo, 32. They yielded 42.4 grams of shabu.

In a follow-up operation, PDEA agents nabbed Carlos Sison, 30; his wife Rowena, and Danilo Guimbaolibot, 28, and seized 95.7 grams of shabu from them. — With Artemio Dumlao