Elderly woman, 2 others yield shabu worth P1M in Batangas

SAN PEDRO CITY – The police recovered P1.1 million worth of shabu from an 82-year-old woman and two relatives in an operation in Batangas City Tuesday night, the police said on Wednesday.

The suspects were identified as Estelita Andal, 82; her daughter Circoncicion Andal, 59; and Estelita’s son-in-law, Danilo Ramos, 32.

A report from the Batangas police headquarters, said a buy-bust operation that targeted Ramos around 11 p.m. Tuesday, led authorities to Andals’ residence in Barangay Calicanto, Batangas City.

The police recovered 58 sachets of suspected shabu (crystal meth) and P15,000 marked money from the suspects.

Supt. Sancho Celedio, Batangas City police chief, said in a phone interview that Estelita had long been selling drugs up to the time of her arrest.

“For a time, she was out of the radar of the law enforcers. Who would have thought an 82-year-old would be selling drugs?” Celedio said.

He said prior to the arrest, police learned that Estelita, with Circoncicion, would go to the city’s old marketplace to carry out their illegal dealings.

The police said Estelita also faced drug charges in the adjacent town of Bauan.

The suspects told the police that drug pushing had been their “livelihood”
for the longest time, Celedio said quoting Estelita.