Soldier nabbed with P350K shabu in Compostela Valley bust

DAVAO CITY — A soldier was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly selling illegal drugs to anti-narcotics agents in Maco town, Compostela Valley, authorities said on Wednesday.

Cpl. Arman Oria Octaviano, 35, married, a resident of Lupao, Nueva Ecija and a member of the Army’s 71st Infantry Battalion based in Mawab, Compostela Valley, was caught in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Limbo around 6 a.m. after handing over a pack of shabu (crystal meth) worth P50,000 to an undercover agent.

Antonio Rivera, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Southern Mindanao regional director said confiscated from the suspect were six sachets of suspected shabu weighing some 20 grams estimated to be worth P300,000, various drug paraphernalia and the marked money used in the transaction, Rivera said.

Octaviano is now under the agency’s custody as charges are being readied against him. FRINSTON LIM