The National Capital Region Police Office arrested an 18-year-old drug suspect and seized more than P7 million worth of shabu during a buy-bust operation in Caloocan City early Wednesday morning.
NCRPO chief Guillermo Eleazar identified the suspect as Jaymark Mercene, single and resident of 2125 Interior Taft, Libertad St., Barangay 89, Zone 9, Pasay City.
He said the suspect, who uses an alias MacMac or Kapre in his illegal activity, was arrested inside Room No. 7 of Marsman Hotel at the corner of Rizal Avenue and 2nd Avenue in Grace Park around 1:30 a.m.
Eleazar’s men from the NCRPO Regional Drug Enforcement Unit coordinated with the Caloocan City Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency following information of the suspect’s whereabouts.
“The buy-bust operation was supposed to transpire at Caltex gasoline station in Pasay City but finally set at Marsman Hotel. It was a followup on the operation that was conducted two weeks ago,” he said.
Recovered from Mercene’s possession were 1,050 grams of shabu, and a 1,000 peso bill with 12 bundles of boodle marked money worth P1.2 million used by authorities in the drug transaction.
Eleazar said Mercene wass a trustee of Edgardo Mongado Co Jr., a leader of a criminal gang engaged in drug dealing activities in the cities of Pasay and Makati City, and neighboring provinces of Rizal and Cavite.
The suspect is now detained and will be charged with violation of Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
Mercene’s arrest came a week after authorities conducted same operation in Mandaluyong City against three suspected members of a drug syndicate. Seized during the operation was P6.8 million worth of shabu.
The suspects—Raihana Pontino, 37; Aliola Sultan, 24, and Jassir Panggaga, 23—were arrested along Shaw Boulevard.
Eleazar said the suspects were members of syndicated criminal gang connected to the group of muslims headed by Ahmin Buratong, now serving jail sentence for illegal drug trafficking at the New Bilibid Prison.
Recovered from the suspects were 15 plastics containing a total of one kilo of shabu, eight bundles of P1,000 bills and a silver Toyota Revo with registration plate number XGP-331 used by the suspects in the delivery of illegal drugs.
