2 drug suspects busted in Lipa City

LUCENA CITY––Police arrested two drug suspects, one of them armed, in separate buy-bust operations Tuesday in Lipa City in Batangas.

Lipa City police reported that anti-narcotics agents nabbed Edwin Lacerna, 46, after selling a pack of shabu (crystal meth) in Barangay Kayumanggi at 12:50 a.m. The suspect yielded one plastic sachet of meth.

Lacerna was also found carrying an unlicensed caliber .45 pistol with four bullets.

Veteran anti-illegal drugs operatives say that big-time drug suppliers provide guns to some of their favored pushers for protection, aside from giving them free shabu for personal use as incentives.

Two hours later, another suspected drug pusher, Pedro Tumbali, 33, was also busted in another sting operation in Barangay Balintawak.

Authorities also seized a plastic sachet of shabu.

The police also confiscated a motorcycle believed to have been used by the suspect in his illegal drug trade.

The report did not specify the volume and street value of the confiscated illegal drugs in the twin operations.

The suspects were detained at the police station jail and face complaints about violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and another criminal charge for illegal possession of a firearm.

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