Facebook post spurs Makati drug bust

‘UNLIKE’ If only these alleged drug users and pushers could undo this Facebook post that police used to locate and entrap them on Friday in Barangay East Rembo, Makati City. FROM THE FACEBOOK PAGE “SUPPORT PDEA AGENT JONATHAN MORALES VS DRUG TRAFFICKERS AND PROTECTORS”

It took a Facebook photo and a taunting caption to send the Makati City police into action against a group of suspected drug users and pushers early Friday.

A buy-bust operation in Barangay East Rembo led to the arrest of Glemalaze Ansano, 35; Glenslare Ansano, 33; Edgar Arceo, 37; Alexander Nueva, 42, and Andrew Pisco, 35; all residents of 20th and 19th avenues in the same village.

Recovered from the five men were seven sachets said to be containing shabu and P1,000 in marked money used by a poseur buyer.

SPO1 Ching Esperazante of the Makati police antiillegal drugs section said the central command received information on the suspects through a Facebook campaign page demanding the death penalty for drug pushers and traffickers.

He was referring to the page titled “Support PDEA Agent Jonathan Morales vs Drug Traffickers and Protectors,” which had a photo of men apparently having a drug session, along with inset pictures of alleged drug pushers in East Rembo.

The photo came with the taglines: “Ganito kami sa Makati; hindi kami kayang hulihin (This is how we are in Makati; we’re untouchables)” and “Sige, Lolo, shabu pa (Help yourself to more shabu, grandpa).” The first was apparently a play on the city government’s slogan.

According to the caption, the local drug trade has long been a cause for worry among the residents and “it seems that these people (the suspects) have strong connections in the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs (sections) of the Makati Police.”

The post named the alleged drug users and pushers and gave their addresses.

“Our chief of police, Senior Supt. Ernesto Barlam, received the link of the Facebook page containing the details about the suspects and he had it investigated through our intelligence unit,” Esperazante said in an interview on Friday.

After the information was verified, the antiillegal drugs unit arranged the buy-bust operation, he added.

Esperazante said three of the men mentioned in the Facebook post were arrested on Friday, referring to the two Ansanos and Arceo.

According to the Facebook page, it was created in August 2013 by a group of residents of Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, in support of Jonathan Morales, who had reportedly accused his superior in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) of being afraid of Chinese drug syndicates.