Doc earlier nabbed in QC now in San Juan jail —again for ‘shabu’

THE DOCTOR IS ‘IN’ AGAIN Amante Valdepeñas gets a new mugshot taken at the San Juan police station (left photo) on Wednesday. Ten months ago, he was a drug detainee of the Quezon City Police District. —Photo courtesy of Eastern Police District, Edwin Bacasmas

A practicing orthopedic doctor who was arrested in Quezon City in October last year for drug possession and peddling is back behind bars, this time in neighboring San Juan City.

The police arrested Amante Valdepeñas, 59, in a drug buy-bust operation on Wednesday afternoon in Barangay West Crame, along with Venus Ugay, 36, reportedly his girlfriend.

An “Oplan Tokhang” surrenderer had informed authorities that Valdepeñas, who said his past drug cases had been dismissed, was back as a “shabu” (crystal meth) supplier.

Seized from Valdepeñas and Ugay were two plastic sachets of suspected “shabu,” after an undercover agent met them at the corner of West Crame and Bonny Serrano Avenue.

Senior Insp. Edwin Malabanan, head of the city police’s drug enforcement unit, said Valdepeñas did not actually operate in San Juan but was only receiving or picking up drugs in the area to be sold elsewhere.

Waiting for fresh supply

The doctor moved to the city after leaving his wife and stayed with Ugay, a West Crame resident, Malabanan said. When entrapped on Wednesday, the two suspects were keeping only a small amount of shabu as they were still waiting for their source for a fresh supply, the official added.

Valdepeñas, known to his drug clientele as “Dok,” made headlines last year after his arrest led to a string of operations that busted eight more drug suspects in Quezon City.

Among his alleged buyers who were arrested were two retired policemen, one of them of a senior rank.

‘Finished’

Supt. Igmedio Bernaldez, former commander of the Quezon City Police District’s Galas station who led the operation leading Valdepenas’ first arrest on Oct. 11, said the suspect was charged with possession and sale illegal drugs, the latter a nonbailable offense.

When the Inquirer saw him detained at the San Juan police station on Thursday, Valdepeñas said the cases filed against him in Quezon City were already dismissed.

“My cases are finished… They were dismissed,” he said, refusing to give details.

Still licensed

He stressed that he remained a practicing physician and his license was never revoked despite his past cases.

The QCPD gathered that Valdepenas had worked as a surgeon in a private hospital in Tuguegarao City and earlier at General Malvar Hospital in Quezon City.

When arrested last year, he admitted being a drug user for the past six years.

Malabanan said Valdepenas would again be slapped with the same charges, while Ugay would be charged with drug possession.