Lucena top pusher dies in drug bust, 9 others arrested

LUCENA CITY – The alleged number one drug pusher in this city was killed while nine others were arrested in a buy bust operation at a drug den early Friday, police said.

In a report, Senior Supt. Osmundo de Guzman, Quezon police director identified the slain suspect as Fernando “Jepoy” Ibañez, who is listed in the local police drug watch list.

According to Lucena police chief Supt. Romulo Abacea, undercover police officers conducted the buy-bust after information from concerned citizens revealed that illegal drugs activities in the area have again become active.

Albacea said an undercover officer who posed as the buyer, bought a sachet of crystal meth or shabu from Ibañez while his cohorts Jefferson Vergara and Rherey Reynoso, were busy repacking the illegal drugs in Vergara’s house at Purok (zone) Bagong Buhay in Barangay (village) Cotta around 5 a.m.

Ibañez however sensed that his buyer was an undercover police officer and immediately pulled out a 9 mm pistol. He then shot the officer but missed, according to the report.

The other officers at the sting were then forced to return fire, immediately killing Ibañez. Vergara and Reynoso were then arrested along with seven drug users.

Police identified the alleged drug users as Czel Delantar, Randy Mercado, Jonathan del Fierro, Alfred Habitan, Jaypee Habitan, Jorence Penilla and Jennylyn Umbrete. According to police, the seven were caught using shabu in one of the rooms of the house.

The house, owned by Vergara, also served as a drug den and was being maintained by Ibañez, police said.

Seized in the bust were 11 plastic sachets containing suspected shabu and assorted drug paraphernalia from the suspects. The arrested suspects are now detained at the city police headquarters. / muf