Slain drug dealer's widow, Baguio vendor nabbed in separate buy-bust ops

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Widowed after his husband was killed by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operatives during a buy-bust operation last year, 36-yearyold Tarhata Malabas alias “Tata” went on with his husband’s illegal drug trade.

Selling methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan and nearby communities for less than a year, she was cornered herself by PDEA-Region 1 agents on Sunday.

PDEA Regional Office 1 Director Jeffrey Tacio said Tata handed-over a plastic sachet of shabu to a PDEA poseur-buyer in Barangay Dilan Paurido, Urdaneta City on Sunday.

Reportedly, Macalaba is the wife of alleged pusher Asis Hadji Modior who was killed in August last year in buy-bust operation.

When his husband was killed, she continued with the illicit trade, the PDEA said. 

Meanwhile, in Baguio City, a 47-year old shabu pusher who doubles as a “talipapa” vendor and cockfighting “kristo” (bet collector) was arrested in a buy-bust operation on Tuesday afternoon.

Jun Ilarde alias “Buwang”, a native of Occidental Mindoro but resides at Upper Quezon Hill, here reportedly sold about .09 gram of shabu in a heat-sealed, transparent, plastic sachet to an agent of the PDEA–Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), who posed as buyer.

Ilarde traded the dangerous drug for P2,000.

In 2012, at least P1.1 million worth of shabu were seized in various operations all over the Cordillera Region by PDEA–CAR, and other law enforcement agents.

At least 151 drug law violators were arrested in CAR also in that year, 73.51 percent or 111 of them pushers.