A man who police said kept a packet of “shabu” in his underwear was shot dead by two motorbike-riding assailants in Cainta, Rizal, on Wednesday. A female bystander was also injured by a stray bullet in the attack. In a report to the Rizal Provincial Police Office, the Cainta police chief, Supt. Fortuno Petalio II, said the fatality was known to locals only by the nickname “Tantan” while the injured woman was identified as Angie Domato, 20. Tantan was standing in front of the Cresto Trading Corp. property around 4 a.m. on Imelda Avenue, Barangay San Isidro, when the masked backrider got off the bike and shot him several times, killing him on the spot. Domato sustained a minor injury after being hit in the foot and was brought to the hospital. According to Petalio, responding policemen found a sachet of shabu in Tantan’s coin purse, which he then kept in his underwear. At least five bullet casings were recovered from the crime scene. —JODEE A. AGONCILLO
Taguig man sells ‘shabu’ repacked by nephews
A suspected drug pusher was arrested along with his two underaged nephews in a buybust operation in Taguig City on Wednesday afternoon. The Taguig police said 23-year-old Ibrahim Salba was arrested just outside his house on Maguindanao Street, Barangay Lower Bicutan, where his 13- and 14-year-old nephews were caught in the act of repacking “shabu” in plastic sachets. A tip from one of Salba’s relatives also led to the discovery of about 1.5 kilos of shabu, which was hidden in the ceiling. The stash had an estimated street value of P1.5 million. Senior Insp. Jonathan Jonathan Arribe, commander of Police Community Precinct 2, said the minors’ parents were also on the barangay watch list of drug pushers but they were not at home during the police operation. According to Arribe, the boys not only served as shabu packers and couriers for their parents but also received payment from buyers whenever their parents were away. —DEXTER CABALZA