‘Shabu’ traders in Quezon accept vehicles as payment–police

LUCENA CITY—A suspected big-time illegal drug peddler in Quezon province has been accepting vehicles as payment for purchases of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride), the police learned after they discovered several motorcycles in a raid at the suspect’s safe house in Tiaong town on Thursday.

“The motorcycles were given in exchange for shabu. Some of them were owned by illegal drug pushers and big-time drug clients as disclosed by the suspect himself,” Chief Insp. Alvin Consolacion, Tiaong town police chief, told the Inquirer.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Agripino Morga of the Regional Trial Court in San Pablo City, policemen searched the house of Pepe Tenorio Carandang, 46, in Barangay Paiisa on Thursday noon.

Quezon police records identified Carandang as leader of a group of illegal drugs traders operating in Tiaong and the central part of the province.

Police recovered 13 plastic sachets of shabu, weighing a total of 46 grams and estimated to cost P543,000, from Carandang’s house.

Lawmen also discovered seven motorcycles in the suspect’s compound and seized a .45-cal. pistol, assorted gun magazines and bullets from Carandang.

Consolacion said the motorcycles, in different models and brands, were registered to different persons.

Police also seized a Ford Ranger pickup truck and Nissan Urvan and Hyundai Starex vans, all registered to Carandang, during the raid.

Consolacion said the police would ask the court to forfeit the vehicles in favor of the government.

“This is only the beginning. More arrests of key [drug] personalities in Quezon will follow,” said Quezon police chief Senior Supt. Eugenio Paguirigan.

Paguirigan, in a report last month, said the provincial police, in several operations, seized a total of 54 grams of shabu with a street price of P642,000. At least 87 illegal drug traders and users were arrested during these operations.

In another anti-illegal drug operation in Calauag town on Thursday afternoon, police arrested the top illegal drug suspect in the province and two of his companions.

Police said Reynaldo Epino, 30, the top illegal drug trader in the police’s watch list, and his companions—Angelo Vidad, 18, and Danilo Arela, 42—were on board a tricycle when the group tried to evade a Commission on Elections (Comelec) and police checkpoint in Barangay Pinagkamaligan at past 5 p.m. Thursday.

Police said Epino yelled at Arela and asked him to continue driving past the checkpoint.

When cornered by policemen after a brief chase, Vidad jumped out of the sidecar and was seen by policemen throwing a coin purse.

Police said the purse contained six plastic sachets of shabu, weighing 10.2 grams and with a street value of P120,000.