By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Anti-drug operatives have arrested a high-value individual (HVI) and seized around PHP13.6 million worth of shabu in Quezon City, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Wednesday.
In a statement, NCRPO Director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said the suspect, alias Jessie, 43, was arrested in a buy-bust operation along San Mateo Road, corner Filinvest 2 Road, in Barangay Batasan Hills at around 9:35 p.m. Tuesday.
Seized from the suspect were two kg. of suspected shabu packed in Chinese tea bags, a common packaging method used by drug syndicates.
Operatives also seized bank transaction slips, personal IDs, and a mobile phone, which could provide further leads in the investigation.
Operatives of the Station Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) conducted the operation, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) – NCR, following intelligence reports from the Regional Counter-Intelligence.
Aberin said the operation is a testament to the NCRPO’s intensified anti-drug efforts, in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr. to build safer, drug-free communities through proactive and intelligence-driven policing.
“This major arrest was not instant. This was preceded by a series of intel-driven operations targeting small-time drug personalities who shared valuable intelligence resulting from the identification and arrest of this high-value individual,” he said.
The suspect, currently detained at Batasan Police Station, would face charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and will be presented for inquest proceedings before the Department of Justice National Prosecution Service. (PNA)
