Oriental Mindoro village chief nabbed for drugs

CITY OF CALAPAN – A village chief was arrested in an operation by police and drug agents Saturday morning in Gloria town in Oriental Mindoro province.

Arrested was Domingo Mortel, chief of Barangay Maragooc, said Supt. Imelda Tolentino, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) police information officer.

The lawmen came to Maragooc armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Emery Joy Ma-Jabal, presiding judge of Gloria-Bansud municipal circuit trial court, around 6 a.m., Tolentino said.

Confiscated from him were two sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu (crystal meth) and a loaded a caliber .45 Armscor gun.

Mortel was placed under the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency of Mimaropa.  MADONNA VIROLA