2 women fall in PDEA anti-illegal drug ops in Agusan

Anti-illegal drug agents arrested two women suspected of selling illegal drugs in a town in Agusan del Sur, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said Thursday.

Agents of the PDEA Regional Office (RO) XIII caught Gracelyn Tabulo, 20, and Flora May Matabalan, 23, in a buy-bust operation along National Highway, Barangay (village) 5 in San Francisco at 7:20 p.m. on Monday, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said in a statement.

Confiscated during the operation was a plastic sachet of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) worth P5,000. The agents also recovered the buy-bust money used during the transaction, Aquino said.

Tabulo yielded positive for the presence of shabu, while Matabalan tested negative, according to a drug test administered by the PDEA ROXIII Laboratory Office.

Tabulo and Matabalan will be facing charges for violation of Section 5 (selling of illegal drugs), Section 26 (conspiracy to sell), and Section 15 (illegal drugs use), Article II of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. /jpv