Female ‘courier’ falls in drug bust

CEBU, Philippines – A woman, alleged to be distributing illegal drugs in some Visayas provinces, was arrested in a buy-bust operation Friday afternoon in La Paz, Iloilo City.

Members of the Iloilo City Police Office – City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group arrested Marian Panganiban, 53, around 5 p.m. in Burgos Street. She is a native of Pasay City in Metro Manila.

Recovered from Panganiban’s possession were five sachets of suspected shabu weighing around 25 grams with a street value of P150,000.

Senior Inspector Kenneth Ray Militar, CAIDSOTG chief, said an informant tipped them a month ago about Panganiban’s activity.

She allegedly brought shabu from Manila, through roll-on, roll-off shipment, and distributed it to other provinces like Capiz, Aklan, Negros Occidental and Iloilo, as her last stop.

It was presumed that in each trip, Panganiban could be carrying around 100 grams for distribution.

The suspect was to have made several contacts in Iloilo City but Militar refused to further elaborate on their identities.

Meanwhile, an hour before Panganiban’s arrest, members of La Paz Police Station also arrested a suspected drug peddler.

Senior Inspector Edgar Anonoy identified the suspect as Dizar Diaz, 37, of Barangay Mansaya, La Paz.

Diaz yielded four sachets of suspected shabu, the P200 buy-bust money, and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Both Panganiban and Diaz are detained at La Paz Police Station and will face charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002). - /JMD