2 Ecstasy dealers were not what the cops expected

Samples of Ecstasy pills being sold in parties and on streets. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA — They were well-dressed, “decent-looking” so to speak.

But as soon as the 47-year-old Neil Beltran Songco gave 62-year-old Lilia Licuanan Ong the 10 heart-shaped Ecstasy pills she handed over to their client, a police poseur-buyer, the authorities knew then and there they were dealing with drug pushers.

“If you look at them, they had a fair complexion. The guy was even wearing a polo. They looked decent. They were people you really would not suspect of being in the drug business,” said Chief Insp. Robert Razon, head of the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operation Task Group.

Songco of Barangay Holy Spirit and Ong of Barangay Immaculate Conception—considered two “high-value” police targets by virtue of the bulk of ecstasy they carried with them—were arrested at 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday, after a “transaction” with police in front of the Padis Point along Timog Ave., in Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City.

Razon said the buy-bust operation came about after nearly two weeks of surveillance on the two, following a tip from an informant.

He said the “business partners” and friends no longer resisted arrest.

“They were surprised. Actually, up to now they have not given us any information,” Razon said.

A report to the NCRPO head, Director Joel Pagdilao, stated that apart from the 10 Ecstasy pills. worth P1,500 each, that the police-poseur buyer “bought” from Songco and Ong, the police seized 55 other tablets from their possession.

Razon said the “small maroon tablets” called “twin hearts” came in “groups of three, four and five” in plastic sachets.

All in all, Razon said the 65 ecstasy pills seized from the suspects had a street value of P97,500.

“So it appears apart from us, other people were going to buy drugs from them that time,” Razon said.

The police official said on Tuesday they were still checking if Songco and Ong already had criminal records with the police.

Based on information from the police informant, Razon said the two had been selling the “party drugs” to “partygoers and concertgoers” along the Timog strip.

Razon said he believed Ong and Songco relied on a supplier for the drugs.

“But we are still following up on that. They are still in shock (tulala) about what happened,” Razon said.

He said charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act would be filed against Songco and Ong, who were detained at the NCRPO headquarters in Taguig.  SFM