Cops arrest 5 in Quezon province anti-drug operations

LUCENA CITY – Authorities have arrested four suspected drug pushers and a wanted drug personality in four separate police operations, police said on Sunday.

Quezon police director Sr. Supt. Rhoderick Armamento said policemen armed with an arrest warrant arrested Romeo Guim, 42, for alleged drug pushing in Barangay (village) Bacong in Infanta town.

Lawmen also arrested Joed Malacoco, 27; and his alleged associate Vench Madriaga, 18, in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Bantilan, also in Infanta. Police seized from the suspects three small plastic sachets of crystal meth or “shabu” valued at P925.

In Lopez town, anti-drug operatives busted Anthony Landicho, 46, after he sold shabu to an undercover policeman in Barangay Calantipayan. The suspect yielded two sachets of shabu worth P555.

In Mauban town, policemen armed with a search warrant raided the house of Edwin Monteverde, 52, in Barangay Sadsaran. The team found three small sachets of shabu and assorted drug paraphernalia.

All these anti-illegal drugs operations were carried out separately on Saturday.

Armamento said the continued operations against street-level drug pushers, who were all included in the validated “Oplan Tokhang” list, aims to serve as warning to others still engaged in the illegal drug trade.

“With the arrest of major players, our focus now are the small-time peddlers,” he said. /kga