Bilibid info leads to 10 kg of ‘shabu’

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Using information provided by convicts in New Bilibid Prison, the Pampanga police on Thursday (Oct. 13)
recovered P220 million worth of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) that was surrendered by an accomplice of convicted drug pusher Ryan Ong.

Supt. Jean Fajardo, chief of the San Fernando police, recovered the contraband in an abandoned Nissan LEC car (with license plate no. TLX 665) in Barangay San Vicente in Apalit town.

Ten aluminum foil packs filled with 10 kilograms of shabu were inside a white sports bag.

Witnesses said they saw the car in the area around 11:30 a.m.

It was driven there upon the instructions of Ong, who reached out through convicted car thief Raymond Dominguez, said Senior Supt. Rodolfo Recomono Jr., provincial police director.

Citing Dominguez’s information, the contraband was part of a shabu haul confiscated in July by the Bulacan police.

Dominguez assured a go-between sent by Recomono that Ong had yielded the shabu to clear his name. The operation was coordinated with NBP officials.

The shabu was supposed to have been driven to this Pampanga capital but was brought instead to Apalit for still unknown reasons, Recomono said.

Raids in Mindanao

In Agusan del Sur province, police have arrested a former councilor of Bunawan town during a raid that also yielded P177,000 worth of shabu.

The amount of shabu that was found during the raid on the house of Leonardo Barrios Jr., son of ex-Mayor Leonardo Barrios Sr., is considered the second biggest drug haul made by local police in a week.

Last week, police also raided a house in Barangay Consuelo in Bunawan and seized nine bags containing shabu worth P4.8 million.

Senior Supt. Rodolfo Recomono Jr., Pampanga police chief, opens one of 10 aluminum packs surrendered on Oct. 13 by an inmate in New Bilibid Prison.—TONETTE T. OREJAS

Senior Supt. Joseph Plaza, Agusan del Sur police director, said Barrios is considered as a high-value target and has been on the police’s drug watch list.

He said charges of violation of the antidrug law are being prepared against the former town councilor while the 15 grams of shabu seized from him had been sent to the Caraga regional police office in Butuan City for safekeeping.

Iligan killing

In Iligan City, police and Army operatives shot dead a drug suspect, who allegedly fired at the government agents as they were conducting Oplan Double Barrel in Barangay Saray.

Chief Insp. Jasper Ian Pasco, of the Iligan City police station 5, said that while a team of policemen and soldiers were visiting houses in Saray, Alexander Cortega came out and fired at the agents before fleeing.

Pasco said antidrug operatives killed Cortega after a short chase.

In Tagoloan, Lanao del Norte province, authorities also shot dead a suspected drug trader during a buy-bust operation.

Adrian Alvarino, head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Northern Mindanao, identified the slain suspect as Ismael Maatuan, who allegedly fired at government agents.

Recovered from Matuan’s possession were a shotgun, an M-16 rifle, cash and some 20 grams of suspected shabu. —CHRIS PANGANIBAN AND RICHEL UMEL