3 days ago
Man wanted for drug possession yields P136-M shabu in Laguna
Authorities seized P136 million worth of suspected shabu while serving a warrant of arrest in San Pablo, Laguna.
According to Marisol Abduhrahman's Tuesday report on '24 Oras,' agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were only supposed to serve a warrant of arrest against the suspect when they discovered the 20 kilos of shabu.
'Meron kasi syang pending na case po sa isang RTC dito sa Manila for violation also of 9165, particularly Section 1. That's possession. Nagkataon lang naman ho nung i-implement natin yung warrant of arrest, may nakita din ho dun sa sasakyan ng tao,' said PDEA spokesperson Atty Frederick Calulut.
(The suspect has a pending case in a Manila Regional Trial Court for violation of RA 9165, specifically Section 1, which refers to possession. It just so happened that when we served the warrant of arrest, we found it in his vehicle.)
PDEA also arrested one of the alleged members of the suspect's group.
PDEA said the seizure of the 20-kilo shabu affected the operations of the alleged drug syndicate, especially since there is a shortage of supply in Metro Manila, where the drugs were supposed to be delivered.
'Ang ginagawa ng drug dealers ngayon, hinahaluan ng kemikal ang shabu na binebenta nila. Ang potency o quality ng shabu na binibili ngayon ng mga gumagamit ay less than 10% pa,' Calulut said.
(Drug dealers mix the shabu they are selling with other chemicals, and the potency or quality of the shabu in the market is less than 10%.)
The suspects are under the custody of the PDEA. They gave only brief denials when confronted with the accusation.
PDEA is still looking for the other members of the suspect's group, who were supplying shabu in Metro Manila. –Mariel Celine Serquiña/NB, GMA Integrated News
