MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has uncovered a new strategy in the street-level drug trade during a buy-bust in Bacoor City, Cavite that led to the arrest of Calabarzon’s alleged main source of drugs.
PDEA agents arrested Ronnie Menodiado alias Boy during an operation in front of St. Dominic College along Molino Boulevard corner Aguinaldo Highway in Barangay Talaba 4 on Thursday.
His companions identified as Victorio Najera and Annie Rose Lingua were also arrested.
A total of 15 kilograms of shabu packed in tea bags and with a street market value of P102 million were recovered from them.
READ: PDEA, PNP Cavite operation nets P102M in meth
“During this arrest, PDEA discovered a new modus operandi wherein the pusher will park his vehicle at a designated place. After a while, the main source, with a duplicate car key, will put the shabu inside the pusher’s vehicle. The pusher will comeback and retrieve his car with shabu in it,” PDEA director-general Aaron Aquino said in a press briefing on Friday.
Aquino said the suspects, who would face drug charges, also distribute shabu in Metro Manila and in Zamboanga City.
He said the three are also habitually visiting colleges.
“We are still investigating if they are selling shabu to college students in the region,” said the PDEA chief.
The operation that netted the three suspects stemmed from an earlier operation on Tuesday where PDEA agents arrested Junior Sakilan Utto and his wife Misreen Surailk Utto in Barangay Molino 3 also in Bacoor City.
During interrogation, the two suspects revealed that their source of shabu is Menodiado.