4 alleged drug pushers, 1 buyer fall in Quezon stings

LUCENA CITY –– Police arrested four suspected “shabu” (crystal meth) peddlers and one alleged drug user in buy-bust operations here and in Infanta town in Quezon province on Tuesday and Wednesday, police said.

In Infanta, anti-illegal drugs operatives arrested farmer Mhel Mark Gucilatar, 35, after he sold “shabu” to an undercover police officer in Barangay Libjo in Infanta around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, Colonel Audie Madrideo, Quezon police chief, said in a report.

The suspect yielded one plastic sachet of “shabu” weighing 51 grams worth P357,000 in the street market at the local prevailing price at P7,000 per gram.

Authorities also confiscated the motorcycle, which the suspect allegedly uses in his illegal transactions.

Police tagged Gucilatar as a distributor of shabu to street level pushers in the locality in the northern part of the province.

Local police also arrested Rolin Galvez, 57, in another drug sting in Barangay Pilaway around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Police seized six plastic sachets of shabu worth P9,800.

Authorities also confiscated the motorcycle of the suspect during the buy-bust.

In Lucena City, police busted Wilmer Franco, 31, after he sold shabu to a police agent in Barangay 9 around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Lt. Colonel Romulo Albacea, Lucena police chief, said in a report.

A local drug enforcement unit seized eight plastic sachets of shabu worth P7,000 in the street market.

Darman Alvarade, 36, was also arrested in another buy-bust in Barangay Ibabang Dupay around 12:20 a.m.

Police also collared Edward Aliswag, 35, who was caught buying shabu from Alvarade during the sting operation.

Authorities seized five plastic sachets of shabu from Alvaralde and another sachet from Aliswag.

The seized meth was worth 4,600 in the street market.