By Hilda Austria
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Authorities seized 125 kilograms of shabu packed in plastic tea bags worth PHP850 million from a Chinese national and his driver in Bugallon, Pangasinan, on Thursday afternoon, police reported.
Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPO) information officer Capt. Aileen Catugas, in a phone interview Friday, said the buy-bust operation headed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, in coordination with police units and other law enforcement agencies, was conducted along Romulo Highway in Barangay Polong, Bugallon town.
The PDEA only identified the suspects as both high-value pushers: a 40-year-old Chinese national residing in Paliparan 3, Cavite City, and a 54-year-old Filipino resident of Mampang, Zamboanga City.
Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, are readied against the suspects.
“The operation results from persistent tracking of previous actions targeting individuals linked to syndicated drug trafficking, including their sources. All gathered information was used to our advantage, leading to the arrest of these high-value drug suspects and the seizure of a large amount of illegal drugs,” PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez said in a statement on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Pangasinan PPO appealed to the public for their vigilance and cooperation in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“We are encouraging every citizen to support by providing the right information to the authorities. Your cooperation is a vital tool in completely ending the effects of illegal drugs,” Pangasinan PPO said in a separate statement. (PNA)
