GrabExpress driver with P300K worth of cocaine nabbed after arrest of ‘customer’

The pack of cocaine delivered via Grab. JODEE AGONCILLO/INQUIRER

The drugs and money seized from the suspect. JODEE AGONCILLO/INQURER

A GrabExpress driver who was allegedly delivering cocaine was arrested on Monday early morning after one of his customers—an I.T. support employee nabbed a day earlier—pointed him as his source.

Senior Supt Orlando Yebra Jr., Pasig City police chief, said Edison Hernandez was arrested by members of the Pasig City Police Drugs Enforcement Unit around 2:45 a.m. Monday for allegedly delivering cocaine at Metrowalk in Barangay (village) Ugong in Pasig City.

Yebra said around 28 grams of suspected cocaine which cost around P300,000 were retrieved from Hernandez’ motorbike compartment.

Hernandez, a 24-year-old GrabExpress rider and resident of Barangay Ermitanio, San Juan, faces charges for violations of section 5 of the anti-illegal drugs law.

Hernandez told the police probers he was just asked to deliver things wrapped in plastic bags and claimed he did not know what he was delivering. He was given P8,000 for every transaction. The packages were almost always wrapped in shoe boxes, he said.

Prior to Hernandez’s arrest, I.T. employee  Meynard Ang, 31, one of Hernandez’s “customers,” was arrested by members of the Eastern Police District Public Safety Battalion (DPSB) for punching cashier Arthur Arong inside the Yahoo restobar around 2 p.m. Sunday, a report to EPD director Chief Supt Romulo Sapitula said.

Ang was changing his bills when he punched Arong in his shoulder.

PO2 Jasmine Gallano, case investigator, said Ang seemed like he was into drugs when he fought Arong. While fighting, a sachet of cocaine fell from his right pocket, and bragged that it was cocaine.

Arong immediately sought the assistance of the DPSB policemen PO1 Fernan Balota and PO1 Armel Katigbak, the report said.

The arresting policemen were able to confiscate eight sachets of suspected cocaine from Ang after. Yebra told reporters the confiscated cocaine from Ang was worth P90,000.

At the police station, Ang, who had bruises in his body continued resisting, said the desk officers who were there.

“Konti kita (I was not making enough money),” Ang, a resident of Athena Loop Palladium Subdivision, told probers at the Pasig Police Station when probed why he was into illegal drugs.

Yebra, in his report, said Ang, during probing, admitted he got illegal drugs from a certain “Matthew.” A follow-up operation was conducted after through Ang’s cooperation, the police said.

PO3 Willie Gueta and members of the DEU caught on act Hernandez’ delivery of the cocaine during an entrapment operation on Monday.

Hernandez and Ang are currently detained at the Pasig City police station.

Aside from violation of section 11 of the anti-illegal drugs law, Ang also faces raps for physical injuries.

Ang’s wife, who was already separated from him, and his mother-in-law went to the Pasig Police on Monday afternoon and told police he was into drugs but they did not know he was into drug pushing.