Shabu worth P400K seized in Legazpi City raids

LEGAZPI CITY — Close to P400,000 worth of suspected shabu (crystal meth) were seized from two suspected big-time drug pushers during separate raids inside two villages on Thursday afternoon here, a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) report said on Friday.

According to PDEA, first to be arrested was Rolando Bartolome, who was nabbed during a raid by PDEA operatives at his house in Barangay (village) Pigcale at around 5:20 p.m. Thursday.

The raid yielded six plastic sachets containing 14 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of P95,200.

In another raid at the same village at around 4:40 p.m., suspect Michael Detablan was able to escape PDEA operatives who were implementing a search warrant in his house. The agents were able to confiscate nine sachets of shabu weighing 20 grams worth P136,000.

Meanwhile in Victory village at around the same time, PDEA operatives seized from suspect George Cecilla some 20 grams of shabu worth P136,000 in his residence.

Ricardo Fontanilla, chief of Legazpi’s City Anti-Illegal Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) in an interview said only six villages of the 70 villages in this city were considered as “unaffected” drug areas. Pigcale and Victory are villages considered by the PDEA as “hot spot” areas.

Meanwhile, Frivaldo in an interview said the suspects are high-value targets who are operating in this city. /muf