Cop among 10 arrested in raid on QC drug den

PO1 Christopher Guevarra QCPD PHOTO

A 36-year-old policeman was among the 10 people arrested by authorities on Sunday night at a drug den in Barangay Payatas, Quezon City.

PO1 Christopher Guevarra, a member of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, tested positive for drugs after the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Crime Laboratory conducted a confirmatory test.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director, told the Inquirer that Guevarra had admitted to using drugs even before he became a policeman in 2009.

Aside from the criminal charges of possession of illegal drugs and visiting a drug den, Guevarra will also face an administrative case for grave misconduct.

Dismissal from service

“He will be dismissed from the service, it’s just a matter of time. We have to go through the usual procedures,” Eleazar said.

The other suspects arrested in the buy-bust operation were Ismael Pangilinan, Lloyd Oliver Araneta, Ricky Alay-ay, Ernesto Manzano, Herculano Artiaga Jr., Apolinar Baybay Jr., Coko Moreno, Vladimir Tavas and a 13-year-old boy.

The boy was the son of the target of the police operation, Norman Chua, who also owned the house which doubled as a drug den. Chua, however, escaped.