No deaths as Caloocan cops conduct 1st drug bust since December

There were no deaths on Monday as the Caloocan City police, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), conducted its first drug bust since the Philippine National Police (PNP) relaunched Project “Double Barrel” in December. Instead, six people were arrested, two of them minors.

Senior Insp. Allan Hernandez, the city police’s Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) chief, identified two of those arrested as Jomari Lascano, 25, and his live-in partner Kristine Macala, 22.

Minors caught in drug bust

Also taken into custody were four teenagers who lived in shanties beside Lascano’s house on Samson Road in Barangay 73, Caloocan City, when the police conducted the drug bust around 7:30 p.m. They were identified as Aaron Colaste, 19; Chjay Javier, 18; and two 17-year-old boys.

Senior Supt. Jemar Modequillo, Caloocan police chief, said Monday’s drug bust was the first to be conducted by his men under Project “Upper Barrel” of the PNP’s Double Barrel.

The PNP’s antiillegal drug campaign was ordered suspended last year by Malacañang following controversial operations, particularly in Caloocan City, that led to the deaths of thousands of drug suspects.

In fact, the entire city police force was relieved in September following the killings of teenagers Kian Loyd delos Santos and Carl Angelo Arnaiz in alleged anticriminality operations and an illegal house raid.

Seized during Monday’s operation were six sachets of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth around P8,000, drug paraphernalia and P1,000 in buy-bust money, Hernandez said.

Both Lascano and Macala admitted to using drugs while Macala said she worked as a courier for her partner.

On the other hand, Colaste told the Inquirer that he was only cooking in their shanty during the raid. He denied any association with Lascano and Macala and said he knew only the three other teenagers.

PO1 Juan Miguel Madlangbayan, DEU investigator, said the four teenagers would be subjected to a drug test.

In Quezon City, another couple yielded more than P290,000 worth of party drugs in a drug bust on Tuesday.

Russel Tan, 27 and Jazel Cabresos 26, yielded 21.5 grams of cocaine worth P215,000 and 36 capsules of ecstasy valued at P55,000 when arrested by PDEA and the city police. —With a report from Jhesset O. Enano