P50M shabu seized in Pasig; ‘Bato’ now eyes ‘big fish’ traders

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa (center); the Metro Manila police chief, Senior Supt. Oscar Albayalde; and the Eastern Police District chief, Senior Supt. Romulo Sapitula present to the media packs of “shabu” confiscated in a buy-bust operation in Pasig City. (INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO)

MANILA — Three men were arrested in Pasig City on Friday afternoon in separate buy-bust operations that yielded nearly P50 million worth of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

In a press briefing at Camp Crame, the Eastern Police District director, Senior Supt. Romulo Sapitula, announced the arrest of Saadodin Badron, 26, a native of Marawi City who now resides in Manila; Sukarno Bansil, 37, and Mahatir Malaco, 23, both residents of Upper Bicutan, Taguig City.

Eight kilos of shabu were recovered in the two operations, of which seven kilos came from Badron alone.

Badron was entrapped around 3:10 p.m. on Amang Rodriguez Avenue, Marcos Highway, Pasig City. The drugs were found when his vehicle (ABM 8809) was searched.

Bansil and Malaco were arrested along BCDA C5 Road in Taguig City, where they were found keeping a kilo of suspected shabu and a gun in their vehicle (ABH 2534).

Sapitula described the three suspects as “bigtime traders and distributors of high-grade shabu in the eastern part of the Metro Manila and nearby cities.”

But for the Philippine National Police chief, Director General Ronald De la Rosa, they were only “players” in the drug trade. “We know there are those higher than them.”

Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde, director of the National Capital Region Police Office, has estimated that “shabu” currently sells in the streets at P2 million to P5 million per kilo.  SFM