MANILA, Philippines - It looked like any ordinary sari-sari store, except that aside from the usual things you could get from your friendly neighborhood store, this one also sold shabu.
And this sari-sari store in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan even offered “discounts” to its patrons.
The store was recently raided by elements of the police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and its owner, Teresita Yambot, was arrested.
“Shabu is being sold in Yambot’s store like cigarettes. Clients go to her store and walk away with the merchandise after paying. This is how easy anyone could buy shabu in their community,” said PDEA Director General Jose Gutierrez Jr.
“During our surveillance operations, we were able to verify intelligence reports that Yambot had been using her sari-sari store as a façade to cover up her illegal drug transactions,” Gutierrez said.
Two medium-sized and 10 small plastic sachets of shabu together with a weighing scale and other drug paraphernalia were seized from Yambot’s store.
“Her store even offered discounts for insiders or residents of the barangay. Insiders could buy shabu for P100-P200 per sachet, while outsiders had to pay P1,000-P2,000,” Gutierrez said.
During the operation, Yambot’s neighbor Roger Passi, also on PDEA’s target list, was arrested.
Passi yielded 42 plastic sachets of shabu, drug paraphernalia and a carbine with three bullets.
Both Yambot and Passi were charged with possession of dangerous drugs under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.