Bulacan variety store sells ‘shabu’ like cigarettes, PDEA nabs owner

MANILA, Philippines—Antinarcotics agents raided a variety store in Bulacan Tuesday for selling not only goods, but also suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu,” a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) official said Thursday.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. said authorities served the search warrant against Teresita Yambot a.k.a Tess Cawaling, the owner of the “ordinary-looking” variety store in Block 13, Lot 85, Santeh GK, Towerville, Sto. Cristo in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on Tuesday, after police surveillance operations confirmed that she has been using her store as façade to cover up her illegal-drug transactions.

“Shabu is being sold in Yambot’s store like cigarettes.  Clients go to her store and walk away with the merchandize after paying.  This is how easy anyone could buy shabu in their community,” Gutierrez said, adding that Yambot’s store even offer a 90-percent discount for insiders, or residents of the village.

Insiders can buy shabu for P100 to P200 per sachet, while the selling price for outsiders is around P1,000 to P2,000, Gutierrez said

He said two medium-sized and 10 small plastic sachets of shabu, together with a weighing scale and other drug paraphernalia were recovered from Yambot’s convenient store.

Based on initial investigation and documents recovered from the store, Yambot, who is included in the agency’s Regional Target List, gets her supply on consignment basis.

Meanwhile, simultaneous to the raid in Yambot’s sari-sari store, another search warrant was served, this time against Roger Passi, Yambot’s immediate neighbor.  Like Yambot, Passi is also included in PDEA’s Target List.

Forty-two plastic sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia, along with a carbine rifle with three live ammunitions, were recovered from Passi.

Due this, Gutierrez said that Yambot and Passi were charged for possession of dangerous drugs in violation of Section 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.  They are presently under the temporary custody of PDEA RO3.