Ma nabbed in Leyte for selling ‘shabu’

MAASIN CITY, Leyte, Philippines—Authorities here have arrested a 47-year-old mother of five for allegedly selling methamphetamine hydrochloride, more popularly known by its street name “shabu.”

Maasin police chief Superintendent Hector Enage said Rosita Magallanes Aguilar was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by a team from the Maasin City police, the Provincial Public Safety Command and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group at an apartment in Barangay Asuncion at 1 a.m. Thursday.

A police asset posing as buyer bought shabu from Aguilar, paying her with three marked P500 bills.

The police confiscated from Aguilar two sachets containing the suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of P14,000, and cash worth P6,000 in 1000- and 500-peso bills, including the three marked P500 bills.

While the policemen’s attention was on the seized items, Aguilar who was not handcuffed escaped from third floor apartment unit and ran toward the Canturing River that was just behind the building.

But the suspect was captured less than an hour later in a dark area near the river bank where she hid.

Enage said the police had placed Aguilar, who is from Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, under surveillance for three weeks before her arrest.