PDEA seizes P1.4M shabu, arrests 11

ORMOC CITY, Philippines  — A buy-bust of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 8 on Thursday resulted in the arrest of 11 people, including four minors, one of them a special child, at Barangay Tambulilid, this city.

Confiscated from the possession of some of the suspects were 180 grams of shabu-with an estimated market value of P8,000 per gram or a total of P1.44 million-in three pieces of big plastic sachets and 41 small sachets apparently ready for distribution.

PDEA-8 operatives arrested Julie Areño, 30; Bikal Boatan, 69; Jundy Songahid, 35; Leonardo Cesar, 19; Rodulfo Villotis, Jr.; Dioscoro Batucan Jr., 30; Romel Sepe Jr., 26, and the four juveniles.

Liza Fabi-Baoy, PDEA-8 information officer, said only one of those arrested, Areño, would be charged for selling the illegal drugs to the agency's asset during the buy-bust operation. Areño however tried to escape by running into the house of Faidah Bao, who was PDEA-8's real target.

It was in pursuit of Areño that the PDEA-8 operatives saw the drugs and paraphernalia on the table of Bao's house. Bao, however, was able to escape through a backdoor.

Baoy said the other suspects were caught in the area, and two of the minors were found to have shabu with them. These suspects are facing charges for visiting a drug den or being "employees" of the trader, or both.

The PDEA-8 operatives said selling of shabu obviously has been a livelihood activities in the neighborhood, adding that as they were approaching Bao's house, several residents came to them, practically begging the operatives to buy shabu from them instead, said Baoy.

PDEA-8 OIC director Laurefel Gabales, in a phone interview, said the Tambulilid bust was so far the biggest in the region after Yolanda. He also commended his men for a job well done, saying that the bust was the fruit of a tedious surveillance.

"Our orders are to clean Ormoc of illegal drugs," he said, adding that the village is one of the city's "hot spots" for illegal drugs.   (FREEMAN)