P2-M worth of shabu seized in Lucena City

LUCENA CITY – Police seized some P2 million worth of crystal meth or shabu in a buy-bust operation here early Saturday, police reported.

Combined anti-illegal drugs operatives from the Lucena and Quezon police forces nabbed Catherine Dañez, alias “Katherine”, after she sold shabu to an undercover police agent in Barangay (village) Ilayang Iyam around 1:25 a.m.

Authorities seized 20 plastic sachets containing shabu weighing 468.5 grams with an estimated current street price of around P2 million.

Police also recovered a digital weighing scale and three P1,000 and two P500 marked bills used in the buy-bust, police said.

“My men have been monitoring her after drug surrenderers and concerned citizens tipped off our operatives about her illegal drug activities,” Albacea said.

Dañez, 29, is the alleged lived-in partner of Rex Coronado, the leader of a local drug syndicate. Coronado still remains at large and subject of a massive police manhunt.

According to the police, the remnants of busted drug syndicates in Quezon were using women as distributors of illegal drugs to avoid suspicion from authorities.   /muf