5 suspected drug pushers fall in Lucena buy-busts; P1.2M shabu seized

LUCENA CITY – Police arrested five suspected shabu (crystal meth) dealers in three separate buy-bust operations in Lucena City on Tuesday night, police said.

Senior Supt. Osmundo de Guzman, Quezon police director, said anti-illegal drugs operatives seized a total of 244.82 grams of shabu with an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P403,917. Police said the seized drugs is worth more than P1.2 million in the streets with shabu now selling for P5,000 per gram.

Police said suspect Ronnel Carandang was nabbed inside Jael Subdivisionin Barangay (village) Ilayang Iyam at around 6:35 p.m.

Carandang yielded 16 plastic sachets of shabu weighing a total of 242.74 grams and P4,500 cash which police said were earnings from his illegal drugs activity.

Carandang was tagged by police as a big-time distributor of shabu to drug pushers in the locality and neighboring towns.

An hour later, members of local police drug enforcement unit arrested Manny Magpantay, Jubert Driz, Reynante Coro, Melver Vizarra and Renato Tianela, all suspected drug pushers in two separate operations in the coastal village of Dalahican, Supt. Romulo Albacea, Lucena police chief reported.

Police identified Magpantay and Vizarra as both included in the local drug watch list. Confiscated from the suspects were another 20 sachets of shabu.  /muf