P680K worth of shabu mixed with candy seized in QC

Around 100 grams of shabu (crystal meth) which have been mixed with crushed candies, were seized from two alleged drug pushers during a buy-bust operation in Novaliches, Quezon City on Tuesday.

According to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), undercover police officers arrested suspects Ryan Ceblano and Jester Sanciangco, 18, during the bust along Richland Avenue, in front of the Bagbag Elementary School.

Police recovered from the suspects a sachet of shabu which was covered by black electrical tape, a cellular phone, the P500 marked bill used in the bust, and 15 pieces of P1,000 bills.

According to police, when the seized shabu was inspected, it was discovered that the suspects had mixed the drugs with candy.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Spokesperson Director Derrick Carreon, previously said that some drug pushers add other substances to the shabu to make the volume of the drugs being sold appear bigger. Some pushers would even add poisonous oxalic acid and broken light bulbs to the shabu they are selling, PDEA said.

“Pagbinaba nila ito (drugs) sa local drug groups, dadagdagan pa ito ng adulterants.  Kung ano-ano po ang nakikita natin, like tawas, may naghahalo ng candy, ng toilet freshener,” (When these drugs reach the local drug groups, the pushers would add adulterants such as alum, candies and toilet freshener) Carreon earlier said during the presentation of the RealNumbers of the government’s war on illegal drugs.

“Meron pa tayong pinaka-malupit na nakita sa Mandaluyong na naglalagay ng oxalic acid […] meron pa pong napabalita na nilalagyan ng dinurog na bumbilya ‘yong shabu,”(some would even add oxalic acid and crushed lightbulbs to the shabu) he added.

According to PDEA, mixing other crystal-like substances such as candy with shabu is a method used by drug pushers use to increase the yield of the drugs they are peddling.  /muf