Woman, companion nabbed for bringing shabu inside Batangas jail

SAN PEDRO CITY — A woman and her male companion were arrested on Sunday for carrying alleged “shabu” (crystal meth) inside a Batangas jail where her partner had been detained for drug charges.

In a report Monday, the Batangas police office identified the suspects as Ria Sambajon, 32; and Edwin Vargas, 28; both residents of Taguig City.

Police said Sambajon visited her partner, Lahmodin Mentang, at the Batangas provincial police custodial facility in Batangas City, around 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The suspects were held after the jail guard discovered four sachets of suspected shabu inside a blue sling bag belonging to the suspects during an inspection.

Mentang was among the five people arrested in September in one of the biggest drug hauls recovered in a weeks-long operation in Batangas City and Taguig City. Mentang was arrested in a buy-bust operation inside a mall.

The Batangas police had recovered a total of P7.8 million worth of drugs, based on the suspects’ testimonies to the police, being circulated in Metro Manila and in the provinces of Cavite and Batangas during the operation. /ee