3 tagged on police drug watch list fall in Lucena busts

LUCENA CITY –– Three alleged notorious drug pushers on the police watch list were arrested here Monday and yielded P55,000 worth of shabu (crystal meth), police said.

The arrested suspects were identified as Alberto Bautista, 59; Ricardo Urciana, 60; and Joseph Bacalso, 47, Lt. Colo. Romulo Albacea, Lucena police chief, said in a report.

Police collared Bacalso after he sold P500 worth of shabu to a police agent in Barangay Dalcahina at 7:40 a.m.

Authorities confiscated nine plastic sachets of shabu for distribution to drug users with a street value of P26,112.

Earlier, Urciana was arrested in another buy-bust operation in Barangay Silangang Mayao around 6:10 a.m.

The suspect was found with four sachets of meth worth P10,608 in the street market.

Bautista was nabbed in Barangay 8 with seven sachets of shabu worth P18,768.

Police tagged the three as included on the drug watch list as identified street-level peddlers of illegal drugs.

Bautista was also an ex-drug convict, police said.

The suspects were detained and are facing charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

LZB