Alleged ‘big-time’ drug peddler nabbed in Lucena

Alleged ‘big-time’ drug pusher Mario Mercado was arrested in Lucena with shabu believed to be worth P240,000 according to police. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

LUCENA CITY – Anti-illegal drug operatives arrested an alleged big-time peddler of crystal meth (“shabu”) in a drug buy-bust here Tuesday night.

Supt. Vicente Cabatingan, Lucena police chief, said combined operatives from the local drug enforcement unit, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group collared Mario Mercado, 49, at Heroes Drive in Pleasantville Subdivision, Barangay (village) Ilayang Iyam around 7 p.m.

The suspect, known to his drug user clients as “Exon,” was arrested after he sold P5,000 worth of shabu to an undercover police.

Mercado, who was on the police watch list, yielded eight plastic sachets of shabu weighing 40 grams which costs around P74,000 based on Drugs Dangerous Board estimate.

“But based on the prevailing street sale value of the confiscated drugs, it could fetch up to P240,000 in the local underground market,” Cabatingan said in a phone interview.

Authorities also seized one digital pocket weighing scale, a bladed weapon and an Avanza van believed being used by Mercado in his drug distribution. /lb