An official of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has been arrested in Butuan City in a buy-bust operation conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA).
PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino identified the CAAP official as Ernesto Martinez Zaratan Jr., a 42-year-old registered nurse, who was arrested on January 29 with a 1.58 grams of shabu with a street value of 7,500. A mobile phone used for drug transactions was also seized from the suspect.
Aquino said joint forces of PDEA Regional Office 13, Caraga Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur Provincial Office arrested Zaratan about 1 a.m.
The PDEA chief said Zaratan was a resident of Cinderella Subdivision, Phase II, Barangay Villa Kanangga, Butuan City.
A drug test was also conducted using Zaratan’s urine and the result showed that the suspect was positive for shabu.
Zaratan is detained at PDEA RO 13 with a pending case filed against him for violating Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.