3 drug pushers fall in Lucena buy-bust

LUCENA CITY – Police arrested three suspected drug pushers in a buy-bust operation here Friday, police said.

Anti-illegal drugs operatives arrested Jonald Gozo, Ray-Ann de la Cruz and his younger brother Dante de la Cruz Jr. after the three sold “shabu” (crystal meth) to a police officer who acted as poseur-buyer in a transaction in Capitol Homesite Subdivision in Barangay (village) Cotta around 6:30 p.m., Supt. Reydante Ariza, Lucena police chief, said in a report.

Authorities confiscated from the suspects three sachets of shabu weighing less than one gram, drug paraphernalia and the marked money.

Police tagged Ray-Ann, once convicted on drug charges, as the leader of the group that operates in the village.

Police said the arrested suspects allegedly disclosed the identities of the other drug pushers in the village.

The three suspects were all included in the police drug watch list. Delfin T. Mallari Jr./lzb