Guard accosts ‘thief,’ foils drug deal

AN ALERT security guard of a fast-food restaurant in Muntinlupa City unknowingly stopped a drug transaction on Sunday morning, leading to the seizure of three kilos of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” worth an estimated P15 million.

The guard, whose name was not revealed for his own safety, was on duty at the restaurant in Alabang Town Center, when he noticed a man taking the blue backpack left at a table earlier by a woman customer.

Muntinlupa City police officer in charge Senior Supt. Nicolas Salvador told the Inquirer Monday that the guard stopped the man, thinking he was about to steal the backpack.

“The man claimed that he was with the woman who left the bag but the guard did not believe him,” Salvador said, adding that the guard told the suspect to come back with the bag owner as proof.

The man then left the restaurant and when he failed to return, the guard reported the incident to the police.

Salvador said that when they opened the bag, they found the suspected shabu inside three transparent plastic bags. “The bag had no other contents except for the illegal drugs,” he added.

According to Salvador, the guard will receive a citation for his role in foiling the drug transaction.

Informant’s tip

The police official told the Inquirer that their anti-illegal drugs group earlier received a tip from a trusted informant about a drug deal to be carried out somewhere in the Filinvest area on Sunday morning.

“We dispatched our personnel to the area but since it was too big, we did not know where to look,” Salvador said.

The footage taken by the restaurant’s closed circuit television camera showed a woman leaving the blue backpack in one of the seats at the fastfood restaurant. A few minutes later, the man tried to retrieve the bag but he was accosted by the guard.

Salvador said his men tried to look for the couple in the area on Sunday but did not find them.