Makati condo unit yields P2-M ‘shabu,’ cocaine, marijuana, Joanne Cuachon

Makati Mayor Abby Binay on Tuesday called on condominium administrators to implement security measures to prevent illegal drug activities within their premises following Monday night’s raid that yielded some P2 million worth of suspected “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride), cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 4-A, in coordination with the Makati police station’s Drug Enforcement Unit and Police Community Precinct 6, implemented a search warrant on a condominium unit owned by Joanne Cuachon on Monday at 10:30 p.m.

Authorities searched her unit at the condominium located in Barangay Bel-Air and found sachets of white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, green tablets believed to be ecstasy, dried marijuana and cocaine.

“This incident should serve as a wakeup call to landlords and managers of private condominiums in Makati. I hope you will now be more thorough in screening prospective tenants to ensure that they are law-abiding citizens,” Binay said in a statement on Tuesday.

“It would also be prudent to implement tighter security measures in your buildings, such as a surveillance system that can promptly detect and monitor suspicious activities,” Binay added.

Cuachon, the unit owner, was arrested last Friday in a buy-bust operation and is now in the custody of PDEA after undergoing inquest proceedings.

Binay reminded the managers of private condominiums in Makati City that the reputation of their business was at stake.

“In your line of business, trust is of paramount importance to clients. Any hint of involvement in criminal activities, especially illegal drugs, would make current and prospective tenants feel less secure,” she said.

Binay lauded the PDEA and police for the continuing crackdown against the drug trade but also reminded barangay officials that they were the first line of defense in the war against drugs. —Erika Sauler